‘I’m so thankful’ Dutch sailor praises Arbroath’s response after yacht hit rocks

A Dutch sailor whose yacht ran aground at Arbroath harbour has thanked the “amazing” response of local lifeboat crews who came to his aid.

Experienced yachtsman Sietze Sinkeler encountered difficulties when making an approach to the harbour on Tuesday afternoon.

The Lauwersoog, Groningen registered vessel sustained significant damage when it hit an embankment and was stuck fast.

The volunteer lifeboat crew of Arbroath RNLI went out to secure Mr Sinkeler’s boat and returned the same night to float it back to the harbour marina.

The boat is awaiting repair at Mackay Boat Builders and Mr Sinkeler expressed his thanks for aid in his hour of need.

“It has been a very stressful time for me,” he said. “I’m so thankful for the guys at the RNLI and here at the boatyard for helping me out.”

For more on this story, see Thursday’s Angus edition of The Courier.