Rescue crews tow yacht to harbour after 11-day voyage

A yacht more than 20 metres long was towed to Hafnarfjörður on Thursday evening after an engine failure about 12 nautical miles west of Akranes, mbl.is reported. The crew had been sailing for 11 days from Scoresbysund in Greenland.

According to a statement from Landsbjörg, the crew had dealt with repeated engine problems during the voyage. The final four days were particularly difficult because of poor weather and severe fatigue caused by lack of sleep.

The Coast Guard’s operations centre called out the Akranes rescue association at about 6pm on Thursday. The vessel Hafdís SK reached the yacht first and provided assistance. The rescue boat Margrét Guðbrandsdóttir was conducting exercises when the call came in and immediately headed out, but a more powerful vessel was needed because of the yacht’s size.

The rescue boat Kristrún á Bjargi took over and towed the yacht to Hafnarfjörður. The operation went well, and the yacht reached harbour safely at about 10pm. Kristrún á Bjargi returned to its home port of Akranes around midnight, the statement said.