Macduff lifeboat called to help young kayakers adrift off Portsoy
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The volunteer crew at Macduff RNLI Lifeboat were paged by the UK Coastguard in Aberdeen at 3pm this afternoon to assist two young kayakers who had got in to difficulty off Portsoy.
An offshore breeze had pushed the inflatable two person kayak out to sea leaving the young kayakers unable to paddle back to shore.
The alarm was raised by an adult on the shore at Portsoy.
When the lifeboat arrived on scene at 3.27 pm the kayak was about 2 km (1.1 nm) out at sea with Coastguard helicopter, Rescue 151 from Inverness, hovering overhead.
Helmsman, Ritchie Wallace put the lifeboat alongside the kayak, and the young male and female occupants were brought aboard the lifeboat by crew members, Rob Smith and Kyle Park.
The inflatable kayak was also put aboard the lifeboat and was taken in to Portsoy harbour where the casualties and their vessel were handed over to members of the local coastguard station.
A paramedic from Rescue 151 was winched down on to the harbour to provide medical assistance should it be required.
The crew from Macduff RNLI stood down and returned to station, where the lifeboat was recovered, washed, refuelled and returned ready for service at 5pm.
