Blackpool yacht rescue: Pair towed to safety in sudden storm

Rescuers managed to connect a tow line to the stricken yacht

Two people in a yacht were rescued after becoming trapped in treacherous conditions off the Lancashire coast.

The vessel got into difficulty following a "sudden and violent squall" in the Irish Sea, the RNLI said.

Coxswain Andrew McHaffie said the yacht was moving dangerously close to the beach leaving only "a slim chance of survival in those conditions".

The rescue charity has revealed details of Friday morning's rescue, off the coast of Blackpool.

One crew member in the yacht suffered a bruised arm after being thrown about by the violent motion of the swell and left unable to leave the cabin.

A "sudden and violent squall" in the Irish Sea was causing reduced visibility

Mr McHaffie said he realised the urgent need to get the yacht away from the rapidly approaching surf on the shore.

He managed to get close enough for fellow crew member Andy Hall to leap between the two vessels and connect a tow-line from the lifeboat.

The yacht was then towed to the marina at the Wyre Estuary in a rescue that took five hours.

The RNLI's Richard Freeman, based at Lytham St Annes, said: "Had the coxswain not assessed, planned and acted as swiftly as he did to establish a tow, the casualty vessel could have been lost along with its crew."

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