Kinghorn lifeboat crew rushed to save two men whose dinghy capsized off Portobello on Sunday.
The dramatic rescue came after the vessel’s mast collapsed, causing the boat to turn over and throwing the pair into the freezing water of the Firth of Forth.
Luckily, members of the public had seen the boat getting into difficulty approximately 300m offshore and called 999 from the beach.
Lifeboat helm Mark Brown said: “There were two casualties on the upturned hull of a dinghy. On arrival, we pulled both male casualties into the lifeboat and took them ashore where Fisherrow Coastguard Rescue team personnel assisted.
“One casualty had swallowed a lot of water and was very cold, but the second sailor was able to assist in the recovery of the dinghy.”
Mr Brown added: “The casualties were well equipped for inshore sailing but they didn’t have a radio or mobile phone onboard. They were fortunate in this instance that members of the public called 999 to launch a rescue mission.
‘We would always recommend that people are properly prepared before taking to the water, especially on exposed areas, such as the Forth. Equipment should include lifejackets, a VHF radio, flares, and suitable all-weather waterproof clothing.”
The incident happened shortly before 1.30pm and also onboard for the rescue were Kenny Davidson, Megan Davidson, Paul Stather and Steve Robinson.
