A LIFEBOAT crew saved the lives of two men after a dramatic rescue off Inchkeith in the Forth on Saturday.

The Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat raced out to the waters around the island following a 999 call from one of the men on the pleasure trip.

The engine on their 10-foot dinghy had failed, leaving them drifting perilously close to the estuary's main shipping channel.

The crew reached Inchkeith just four minutes after launching and found the men cold but uninjured.

Lifeboat helm Neil Chalmers said: "Information was initially limited with the casualty vessel unsure of their position. The coastguard was able to establish that they thought the vessel was probably to the north-east of the island.

"We arrived at Inchkeith around four minutes after launch and began a search around the island.

"Fortunately, our operations manager was looking out to the search area, and further to the east, when he spotted a small vessel. We quickly made our way to the area of this sighting, where we spotted the vessel.

"The lifeboat quickly located the small 10-foot tender dinghy with two males on board. The two casualties were taken aboard the lifeboat, where they were found to be cold but uninjured. The two men were provided with lifejackets and the dinghy was taken in tow back to Kinghorn, where Kinghorn Coastguard Rescue Team was on hand to assist.

"The wind had picked up during a trip from Pettycur to Inchkeith and, combined with engine failure, the casualties' small boat had begun drifting eastwards. The boat was located 1.75 nautical miles east of the island, near the main shipping channel.

"We would always recommend that people are properly prepared before setting out on trips like this, especially on open water, such as the Forth. Necessary equipment should also include lifejackets, a VHF radio, flares, suitable all-weather clothing, a well maintained engine and a craft suitable for the conditions.

"Fortunately this callout had a successful outcome, with no loss of life, although both men were lucky that they were able to call for help on their mobile.

"The RNLI is currently running a campaign called ‘Respect the Water’ to raise awareness of coastal risks and reduce the number of fatalities around the coast of the UK and Ireland. Between 2010 and 2013, there were 69 fatalities in the UK during sailing and motorboating situations. The largest single cause of callouts over this period was due to engine failure."

The lifeboat crew who carried out the rescue was Neil Chalmers, Megan Davidson, Richard Malcomson, Paul Stather and Steve Robinson.