Four kayakers were rescued from Greyling Bay on Sunday afternoon after a strong offshore wind pushed them out to sea and capsized two of their boats. The volunteer crew of the Greyling Bay lifeboat reached them around 25 minutes after the alarm was raised, by which time the group was roughly two kilometres from the beach at Shingle Cove.
The coastguard was alerted at 2.40pm by a walker on the cliff path who saw the kayakers struggling to make headway. The lifeboat, an inshore boat crewed by three volunteers, launched from the station at Fenwick Point eight minutes later. When it arrived, two of the kayakers were in the water holding on to their upturned boats while the other two were trying to keep them together.
Cold and tired but unhurt
All four, who were wearing buoyancy aids, were taken aboard and brought back to the lifeboat station, where they were checked by paramedics. None needed hospital treatment, although two were showing early signs of cold after around 20 minutes in the water. The kayaks were recovered by a second boat later in the afternoon.
Helmsman Rhodri Penhale, a carpenter who has volunteered with the crew for eleven years, said the group had done the right things once they got into trouble, staying together and keeping hold of their boats, which made them far easier to spot.
The sea looked flat from the beach, which is exactly what fools people. An offshore wind feels gentle on land and is anything but a kilometre out.
Conditions inside the bay were calm when the group set off from Shingle Cove shortly after lunch, but the wind was blowing from the north-east, off the land. Forecasts had predicted gusts of up to 30 knots later in the day. The coastguard said that people on kayaks and paddleboards should check the wind direction as well as its strength, carry a means of calling for help in a waterproof pouch, and tell someone on shore when they expect to return.
It was the crew's 37th call-out of the year. The station relies on donations and is holding an open day next month, when visitors can see the boats and meet the volunteers who crew them.