Wick RNLI tasked to paddleboarder blown out to sea
Wick RNLI Lifeboat, the Roy Barker II, and Wick and Duncansby HM Coastguard search teams were paged today (Wednesday 3 August) at 12:25pm to search for a missing paddleboarder who had taken to the sea at Reiss beach earlier that morning.
The alarm was raised by the casualty's family member when they could not make their way back to the beach after going out on their paddleboard.
Wick RNLI lifeboat started a search and was joined by a local fishing vessel, Reaper, which had responded to the Pan Pan alert issued by Shetland Coastguard who were co-ordinating the incident.
Being a larger vessel, the fishing boat had a better line of sight due to the height and spotted the casualty's position which was immediately relayed to the lifeboat.
The lifeboat was then able to reach the casualty where they were recovered onto the lifeboat and assessed by the crew. The lifeboat was then able to return to Wick where the casualty was reunited with her family.
The Emergency Services would like to pass on our thanks to Donald Anderson Skipper/co-owner, and the crew of the local vessel Reaper for their assistance during the search and to thank the crews of other vessels in Wick which were making ready to assist.
RNLI Water Safety volunteer, William Munro, says 'We're encouraging everyone to refer to the RNLI’s paddling guidance, including checking the weather forecast beforehand and avoiding offshore winds if possible, with similar events happening in the area only a few weeks previously. Further information on paddling safely can be found at RNLI.org/paddling.'
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