Lifeboat crew rescues four young paddleboarders from 40mph winds at sea

FOUR young paddleboarders were rescued by a Scottish lifeboat crew amid winds of 40mph on Saturday.

Buckie’s RNLI were alerted by Aberdeen Coastguard to reports of paddleboarders in the waters off Cullen Bay, near Moray on Saturday April 6, at around 3:45pm.

But with strong-easterly winds of around 40 knots, around 46mph, the situation quickly changed with the lifeboat searching for four people near the Bow Fiddle Rock landmark.

The RNLI Buckie’s William Blannin vessel arrived on the scene in around 10 minutes, locating two girls who had managed to stay on their paddleboard.

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A second pair were spotted in the water a few minutes later, with the crew successfully recovering another two “very cold and relieved youngsters”.

They had been in the water for more than 20 minutes with just wetsuits on and were assessed by the crew’s carers before being checked over by waiting the waiting Scottish Ambulance Service.

All four were given the all clear and sent home.

Anne Scott, lifeboat operations manager, said: “The RNLI urges people to check the weather forecast carefully before venturing out on the water, especially when paddleboarding.

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“Avoid offshore winds as you can easily be blown out to sea very quickly and offshore winds will tire you quickly when trying to return to shore.

“Always wear a personal flotation device and suitable clothing for the forecasted conditions and always carry a means of calling for help.”