A person clinging to their capsized kayak near Swanage Bay in Dorset, was saved from the sea by the Swanage lifeboat crew, when they couldn’t get back in their boat.

The UK coastguard alerted Swanage RNLI when a personal locator beacon (PLB) was detected near to Old Harry, around 11 am on Saturday 30th November 2024.

As the crew assembled and prepared to launch, the coastguard received a 999 call from two kayakers, one of whom had activated the PLB.

Swanage Lifeboat Station reported:

“One kayaker had capsized and was exhausted, now clinging to the kayak helped by their companion, but they were unable to get back onto the kayak or to make their own way to safety.

“The lifeboat made good speed to the located position and after a short search located the kayakers a mile further south.”

The crew was able to quickly rescue the exhausted kayaker from the water and lift them onto the lifeboat, where they were checked over for injuries.

The other person was also taken on board the lifeboat, as were both the kayaks.

The all weather lifeboat then headed back to Swanage where they were met at the boathouse by volunteers from Swanage Coastguard and an ambulance crew.

However, just as the two kayakers were taken ashore, another call came in from the coastguard and the all weather lifeboat put to sea again.

A fishing vessel had reported seeing a drifting dinghy and the coastguard wanted to eliminate the possibility there were any people in distress associated with it.

The location of the fishing vessel was plotted and an estimated position of the drifting dinghy was established.

Swanage Lifeboat Station reported:

“The lifeboat had just begun searching for the dinghy when an eagle-eyed volunteer crew spotted the dinghy a few hundred metres off starboard.

“The small dinghy showed no signs of having been occupied, but did pose a hazard to other boats.

“After a short struggle, the dinghy was lifted onto the aft deck of the lifeboat and a route plotted back to the boathouse.”

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