Kayakers rescued by Scarborough RNLI

The kayakers were blown out to sea by a strong offshore wind

Author: Karen LiuPublished 22nd Sep 2021

Three kayakers were rescued by Scarborough RNLI when a strong offshore wind blew them out to sea this afternoon.

The charity said:

"When they called for help, the two men and one woman were roughly one nautical mile out to sea; by the time the inshore lifeboat found them, the distance to shore had doubled.

"Fortunately, they were all wearing buoyancy aids.

"The lifeboat crew of three helped get the kayakers into their vessel and towed the kayaks back to shore, where they handed them over to the waiting coastguards. "

Scarborough RNLI’s community safety officer Dave Grieves has the following advice for kayakers:

  1. Wear wetsuits or water / wind proof clothing;
  1. Carry a means of calling for help - preferably a VHF radio or phone in a waterproof case;
  1. Download the app What3Words, from which the coastguard can get a precise location;
  1. Take note of the tide and wind conditions and think carefully about your route, particularly when strong offshore winds are blowing.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.