A YACHT in trouble off the North Yorkshire coast was towed to safety by volunteers from the RNLI.

The Staithes lifeboat was launched at 9.45pm on Monday after the yacht ran aground outside the harbour entrance.

The lifeboat crew were returning home after their weekly training exercise when the lights of the yacht were seen approaching the harbour entrance.

Knowing that it was now low water and that the yacht would not have sufficient water to enter the harbour, lifeboat operations manager Dave Porritt ordered the lifeboat to launch.

In the short time it took to launch the lifeboat the yacht had grounded just outside the harbour entrance.

After some difficulty, owing to the low water, the lifeboat transferred a crewman to assist the lone yacht skipper and attached a towline, pulling the vessel into deeper water.

The yacht was then towed towards Whitby and once halfway there the tow was handed over to Whitby lifeboat. The yacht was safely moored in Whitby harbour at around midnight.

Staithes crewman Lee Jackson said: "It was tricky for the lifeboat crew to attach a line because of the low tide but thankfully the yacht was towed safely to Whitby."

He added: "It is important for skippers to know what the tide is doing and how that will affect their entry into a port."