Rescued paddleboarders walk final Mayday mile with the RNLI crew that saved them
Two young paddleboarders who were rescued by Buckie RNLI when they got into difficulty off the coast of Cullen have been raising money to say thank you to the volunteer crew who saved them back in April.
Buckie’s all-weather lifeboat was launched in strong south-easterly winds on Saturday 6 April to search for 4 paddleboarders near local landmark, Bow Fiddle Rock.
The search for the young paddleboarders was time critical and the Buckie RNLI lifeboat William Blannin arrived on scene in around 10 minutes, quickly locating the first 2 youngsters, who had luckily managed to stay on their paddleboard.
The second pair were spotted only minutes later, desperately trying to keep their heads above water. The 5 strong volunteer crew pulled the tired, cold, but relieved, youngsters aboard the lifeboat and made best speed back to Buckie to waiting ambulance crews and worried friends and family.
Only hours after their dramatic rescue, Madison Ross (15) and Findlay Grant (16) announced to family that they had decided to take part in the RNLI’s annual Mayday Mile challenge to show their gratitude to the Buckie crew and raise money for the charity to say thank you for saving their lives.
At 7pm on Friday 31 May, Madison and Findlay were joined by the 5 volunteer crew that went to their rescue back in April to walk the final mile of their RNLI Mayday mile challenge, walking a mile a day in May.
Mike Rennie, Coxswain Mechanic said: ‘On behalf of everyone at Buckie RNLI we want to thank Madison and Findlay who have raised over £1,000 to express their gratitude to the lifeboat crew who rescued them. Your generosity and appreciation is inspiring, and your support highlights the RNLI’s mission of saving lives at sea.’
The pair are keen to share their story with others and raise awareness of how quickly things can change, and dangers of our seas, with Madison and Findlay joining lifeboat crew member, Jeffrey Tuckerman, to talk to Keith Community Radio listeners about the RNLI’s water safety message early next month.
Ends
Notes to Editors
· Buckie lifeboat station has been operating since 1860. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/buckie-lifeboat-station
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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