TWO men were rescued at the weekend after a yacht struck rocks after suffering an engine fire.

The alarm was raised just after 5.15pm on Saturday by an off-duty Redcar RNLI crew member who saw the yacht sailing close inshore and then strike rocks known as East Scar.

The Redcar lifeboat launched and was quickly alongside the yacht, which had crossed over more rocks and was heading for a larger group of rocks called Saltscar.

A lifeboat crew member was put aboard the craft and discovered that there had been an engine fire which the two-man crew had managed to extinguish, but this has resulted in the total loss of electrical power on the yacht.

The crew were able to sail the yacht to safe waters, guided by the lifeboat. Once clear of the rocks a tow was rigged and a course set for Hartlepool.

The Hartlepool inshore lifeboat was tasked to rendezvous with the Redcar lifeboat and the tow was handed over for the final leg into Kafega landing in Victoria Dock, where a UK Coastguard rescue team was waiting.