Round-Britain sailor capsizes near Blackpool and has 'messy landing'

Dr Hill-Smith said he was unharmed by what happened, but HMS Betty had not fared so well

A psychiatrist who has spent three months sailing around Great Britain has admitted he had a "bit of a messy landing" after capsizing off Blackpool.

Dr Andrew Hill-Smith, who calls himself "the shrink in the drink", set off from Gosport, Hampshire, in April in his 4.2m-long (14ft) dinghy, HMS Betty.

He was helped by RNLI Blackpool after getting into difficulty near the resort's famous tower on Tuesday.

On Instagram, Dr Hill-Smith said he and his boat came in "not always together".

He said he "fell out when coming ashore", but he and Betty had landed "under our own steam".

Dr Hill-Smith, who worked in mental health for 35 years, is raising money for a children's mental health charity, motor neurone disease and the Andrew Simpson Foundation.

Dr Andrew Hill-Smith is raising money for three charities

He has already sailed up the east coast of England and round Scotland and was making his way down the Fylde coast when the mishap occurred.

He said he was unharmed by what happened, but Betty had not fared so well.

"My mast has a bend in it, though I am not sure how that got there," he said.

"It must be something to do with the force seven blowing yesterday."

Thanking the volunteers for their help, he said the dinghy needed "another lower section", which was "a good excuse to go home for a day or two and skip the next few days of crazy winds".

The RNLI said its "Land Rover and crew headed to the location to check the gentleman had no injuries"

An RNLI Blackpool representative said the crew had been called out to help Dr Hill-Smith at about 16:55 BST.

"As the crew were arriving at the station, the Laser Dingy had capsized and washed up on the beach near the Comedy Carpet," they said.

"The Land Rover and crew headed to the location to check the gentleman had no injuries.

"Luckily, he was in good spirits and all OK."

They said the crew wished Dr Hill-Smith the best of luck for the rest of his trip, adding: "Hopefully he will be on his way again soon."