Tall ship towed three hours to Hartlepool following propulsion failure outside Whitby harbour

The tall ship, which had a number of passengers on board, had to lower its anchor.

The Whitby all-weather lifeboat was launched at 6.30am to the vessel which was just North of the piers at Whitby harbour.

Due to the weather conditions at the entrance to the harbour it was decided that the safest course of action was to tow the vessel to Hartlepool.

The passage took around three hours, the vessel and its passengers were delivered safely with the help of Hartlepool RNLI crews.

Whitby RNLI Coxswain Howard Fields said: “The incident highlights the importance of carrying a means of communication when making any journey by sea.

“The crew were able to contact the coastguard promptly and a tow was established before the vessel got into any difficulty.

“Thank you to Hartlepool RNLI crew who assisted us in safely delivering the vessel to their local harbour.”