Loch Spelve - A yacht's fouled propeller triggers a mayday call, Isle of Mull
The crew of a 15-metre yacht anchored in Loch Spelve called a mayday after their anchor chain fouled the propeller and rudder, fearing they would drag ashore. Oban RNLI's lifeboat found the anchor holding but the fouling too much to clear in the dark, and brought the crew back to Oban overnight.
What happened.
Late on 21 July 2026, the crew of a 15-metre yacht anchored in Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull, called a mayday after their anchor chain fouled the propeller and rudder, fearing they'd drag ashore. Oban RNLI's lifeboat found the anchor holding, took the crew off as a precaution, and brought them back to Oban overnight. No one was hurt.
Late on the night of Tuesday 21 July 2026, the Coastguard received a mayday call from a yacht anchored in Loch Spelve, a sheltered sea loch on the southeast side of the Isle of Mull, Scotland. The 15-metre yacht's anchor chain had fouled her propeller, and her crew — unable to be sure the anchor would hold through the night — feared they would drag ashore. Oban RNLI's volunteer crew launched the Shannon class all-weather lifeboat The Campbell-Watson and made their way to the loch. On scene, they found the anchor was in fact holding well, but the propeller and rudder were tangled badly enough that divers would be needed to clear them properly, in daylight. Rather than stay aboard a boat they couldn't fully manoeuvre through the night, the crew asked to be taken off. The lifeboat brought them back to Oban, arriving at its berth shortly after 1am. No one was hurt, and the yacht was left safely at anchor to be sorted out the next day. It's a case where the mayday call turned out more cautious than the anchor itself warranted — but at night, with a fouled prop and no certainty either way, that was exactly the right call to make.
What it teaches.
- 1The crew's own anchor chain fouled their propeller and rudder — a problem you often can't fix in the dark. Once you can't confirm your ground tackle or steerage are sound, call for help early rather than try to sort it out yourself overnight.
- 2The lifeboat found the anchor was actually holding — the crew's fear of dragging wasn't fully borne out. Call it in anyway on the side of caution; a mayday that turns out more cautious than needed costs far less than one made too late.
- 3Rather than stay aboard next to an unresolved fouling problem overnight, the crew chose to be taken off and let divers sort it out in daylight. Leaving a compromised boat safely at anchor is often the better call than staying with her in the dark.
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