The RNLI has shared dramatic images of the moment a yacht was caught in a storm in a taxing rescue operation that lasted five hours.

After a sudden and violent squall passed through the Irish Sea area, a 33 foot yacht with two passengers asked the Holyhead Coastguard MRCC for help after batting with the rough sea.

The Coastguard requested the Lytham St Annes All-weather Lifeboat (ALB) launched to assess the situation at around midday on Friday 29 October.

Lancashire Telegraph: The yacht was caught in a choppy sea (Photo: Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry)The yacht was caught in a choppy sea (Photo: Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry)

In rough sea conditions and at times heavy driving rain and reduced visibility, the lifeboat found the yacht off shore of Blackpool near the South Shore outfall pipe.

The yacht was being forced by wind and sea ever closer to the surf line which would have risked the loss of the vessel and crew.

Coxswain, Andrew McHaffie, lead the operation and said the pair might not have survived if the tow hadn’t connected to their boat.

Andrew said: “The yacht was being forced by wind and sea towards the Blackpool beach and if we had not managed to connect the tow they would have been in the surf line in about 10 minutes with a slim chance of survival in those conditions”.

Lancashire Telegraph: Andrew McHaffie (Photo: RNLI/David Forshaw)Andrew McHaffie (Photo: RNLI/David Forshaw)

One crew member had a bruised arm when she had been thrown about by the violent motion of the vessel and could not leave the cabin.

The other crew member was steering and tethered in the cockpit and unable to rig a tow line as a result.

After a skilfully placed lifeboat, crew member, Andy Hall, was able to leap between the two vessels to assist the two people onboard.

Lancashire Telegraph: A "sudden and violent squall" in the Irish Sea was causing reduced visibility(Photo: Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry)A "sudden and violent squall" in the Irish Sea was causing reduced visibility(Photo: Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry)

Lifeboat crew member, Al Sleet, then threw a heaving line perfectly across to Andy Hall who quickly connected a tow line from the lifeboat and checked the man and woman onboard were uninjured – thankfully, apart from the lady’s bruising, they were.

 Richard Freeman, the Lytham St Annes Station’s Duty Launching Authority, added: “Had the Coxswain not assessed, planned and acted as swiftly as he did to establish a tow, the casualty vessel could have been lost along with its crew.”