FISHING VESSEL SINKS OFF SKYE

Stornoway Coastguard were contacted at just after 8.30 p.m. on 6 March 2001 by the skipper of the Oban registered ‘Starwood’ (OB 389) who reported that his 40ft fishing vessel was taking on water and the engine had stopped.

The 1970 Fraserburgh built vessel ran into difficulty around one mile offshore from Waternish Point, on the northwest side of the Isle of Skye.

The coastguard helicopter from Stornoway was scrambled, an RNLI lifeboat from Portree was requested to launch and, two Scottish fishing vessels and a foreign merchant vessel were involved in the rescue.

The two fishermen were rescued after they directed rescuers to their life raft using a hand-held radio after abandoning their sinking boat.

A coastguard spokesman said that the men's equipment and initiative saved them.

"The men abandoned the boat around 9pm and we picked them up at 9.26pm," said the spokesman.

"They had a hand-held radio which they took into the life raft with them and used to keep in touch with the helicopter and direct it to them.

"Overall the rescue went smoothly and we were able to locate the men within an hour of them raising the alarm, something that was made possible by their equipment."

The men, Ian Coates, 44, of Suinsletter, Arisaig, and crewman Donald MacLennan, 33, of Cuirtag, Morar, were both taken to Western Isles hospital for a check-up where they were said to be "shaken" by their ordeal but uninjured and later released.