Busy weeekend for lifeboat crew

The crew of the Kinghorn lifeboat faced a frantic weekend after being called out four times in just 72 hours.

The flurry of call-outs began on Thursday evening when the lifeboat was tasked to take part in a search for a vulnerable missing person around Longniddry.

The person was found ashore. However, just 24 hours later the crew was launched again to assist a dog after it fell over the seawall at the former Cockenzie power station.

On Saturday morning, just after 3am, a report of a drifting yacht off the Burntisland coast led to the volunteer crew being requested to locate the vessel, ensure no one was on board, and then tow the boat to safety at Burntisland harbour.

The following day, the crew was on the water once more, this time to retrieve a drifting mooring tender that was spotted in Kirkcaldy Bay.

Neil Chalmers, a member of the volunteer crew, said: “We have had a busy weekend, with a diverse range of call-outs, in varied conditions, for our crews to deal with.

“Our crew spent six-and-ahalf hours at sea during these four call-outs.

“On Friday, the German shepherd dog had fallen around 25 feet onto rock armour at Cockenzie seawall.

“The owner was trying to get to the dog, but it was unsafe to do so, so the coastguard requested the assistance of the lifeboat.”