Kyle RNLI rescue ‘frightened’ children stranded on island
Kyle RNLI launched to two incidents in one day, rescuing two children on paddleboards and towing a broken down vessel to safety
Yesterday (July 9) was a busy day for the Kyle crew, having two callouts in less than five hours.
Crew launched at 11.20am to assist a broken down vessel, before being tasked again at 3.45pm to two children on a paddle board who had been blown out to sea.
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Kyle Lifeboat first launched at 11.20am after a 10-metre motor vessel lost power at the mouth of Loch Carron, and drifted towards nearby rocks.
The lifeboat quickly arrived on scene, but a passing yacht had already taken the vessel under tow. For safety reasons, the lifeboat then took over the tow and safely delivered the stricken vessel to Kishorn boatyard by 12:35pm.
The Kyle RNLI Lifeboat returned to station, and was refuelled and made ready for service by 1pm.
At 3.45pm the pagers sounded again after the UK Coastguard received a 999 call stating that two children on a paddle board had been swept out to sea in the Arisaig area, south of Mallaig.
The lifeboat launched ten minutes later, and made best speed to the scene to arrive at 4.35pm. By this time the Coastguard helicopter had located the two children stranded on an island. The helicopter’s winchman went down and confirmed the casualties were safe and well, however the helicopter soon began to run low on fuel, leaving the rescue to the lifeboat.
The Kyle Lifeboat crew took the two youngsters onboard and transported them back to their relieved parents on the mainland at Traigh.
The lifeboat departed the scene at 5:15pm and returned to Kyle an hour later, where the boat was washed down and refuelled, ready for any other taskings.
Jonathon MacKinnon, helm for Kyle RNLI said: “Yesterday was a busy day for our crews. We were out in the morning to a broken down vessel, and then again less than five hours later to the paddleboarders. The two children had gotten a bit of a fright, and their parents were relieved to get them back safe and sound.
“We have to thank our crews and their employers, who let them drop everything at a moment’s notice and respond when the pager sounds.”
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