Yacht owners sailing the Angus and Mearns coast have been warned to prepare well before setting out, following a burst of coastguard calls from Arbroath.
The town’s lifeboat has been launched three times in two weeks to deal with stricken vessels that have got into difficulty just off the coast.
Arbroath lifeboat operations manager Alex Smith said the high temperatures and good weather contributed to the sudden streak of incidents, having had no serious “shouts” in the two and a half months prior.
He said, “The latest shout was on Sunday when a yacht broke its rudder and lost its power steering. People need to make sure they check everything before they set out and make sure all their equipment is in sound working order before they even leave the harbour.
“It is important they contact the coastguard the minute they get into difficulty and should not be embarrassed no matter how small the problem may seem. Any situation they have could quickly get worse if they don’t call it in straight away.”
Both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats were launched from Arbroath on Sunday after a yacht named Crannog began drifting towards rocks off the coast. Nobody was hurt during the incident and the vessel had been towed back into the town’s harbour within 10 minutes of making a call to the coastguard.
Mr Smith said there was nothing wrong with using a mobile phone to call for help and reminded all pleasure sailors to ensure they had some means of communication.
“At this time of year there are lots of visiting boats coming into the marina and Arbroath is growing into one of the main stopping-off points on the east coast,” said Mr Smith. “There was a guy in the other day who was stopping off as part of a world tour that he is doing and it is great for the town to attract people in.”
The yachts visiting Arbroath are typically around 12 metres long and often tour up the east coast stopping in at the likes of Anstruther and Stonehaven.
Mr Smith, who is also co-owner of boat trip company Inchcape Marine, said he had been heartened by the busy early start to the season.
“The weather has helped a lot and it can only be good for the town. I am starting to get bookings in for trips now and with it being the Year of the Light we are hoping for a busy summer.”
Demand for pontoon berths at the leisure marina in the inner harbour at Arbroath continues to grow and last year there were more than 50 boat owners on a waiting list for places.
Since it was established seven years ago the marina has become more popular every season and had to be extended from its original capacity to accommodate local and visiting boats.
The development initially attracted doubts from some quarters as Arbroath sought to reinvent itself as a leisure-oriented rather than purely working port.
It is expected the Year of the Light festival will attract thousands of visitors to the town this summer.