A schoolboy in the Western Isles has found a tiny sail boat which has spent 15 months crossing 2,000 miles of the Atlantic.

The craft, which is fitted with a GPS tracker, was launched in June last year from Portland, Maine, in the US, as part of a science project.

Shortly afterwards, it came ashore in Newfoundland, Canada. It was put to sea again in June this year by a school attended by the daughter of Gemma MacKinnon, who is originally from the isles.

Gemma alerted her family back home that the boat was headed for the Hebrides and Calum Iain MacNeil along with his dad, Donald, found it on a beach near their home in Barra on 7 September.

The boat, called Pie on the Tide, was launched as part of a schools science and environment project called the Miniboat Programme.

Once it became obvious the craft was heading for Barra, Gemma, who left the isles four years ago, was asked by her daughter's school if she might know anyone who could look out for it.

"I was able to send the co-ordinates to my brother whose girlfriend [Calum Iain's sister] is there and her family retrieved the mini boat," she said.

Michelle MacLean, deputy head teacher at Castlebay Primary School where Calum Iain is a pupil, said the boat was in "pretty good" condition after its almost 100 day-long, 2,000-mile crossing.

She added: "Calum and his father are at the moment looking at doing some preparation work to mend the sail, and there are a couple of other parts of it to make and then we're hoping to relaunch it."

Michelle said it was hoped the boat's next stop would be Norway.