Lifeboat crews in weekend call outs.

THE Redcar RNLI lifeboat helped tow a broken down hovercraft back to port.

The hovercraft had lost power to its propulsion fan, so the pilot beached the craft approximately one and a half miles north west of the lifeboat station.

Two crew members were sent ashore to tow the hovercraft back to Redcar.

And on Sunday, Hartlepool RNLI volunteer crew members were tasked to assist a 23-foot yacht that had run aground on Middleton beach.

The yacht, with two people on board, had just left Hartlepool Marina for a day trip but seeing thick fog, decided to drop anchor and wait until it burned off.

The rapidly falling tide meant the water level was too low and the boat ran aground. The stricken yacht could not be towed from the beach despite the best efforts of RNLI volunteer crew members.