Watch, wait and hope
A fine Sunday afternoon and the deceptively calm waters at Carlingford Lough in Northern Ireland seemed like the perfect day for two boys to enjoy one of their regular trips out on their paddleboard. But the wind and the strong currents had less than perfect ideas, and the young brothers were quickly swept far out to sea as their anxious parents were forced to watch, wait and hope.
The two brothers aged eight and 11 set off from their regular sheltered spot on Sunday 21 September, watched by their dad. But as they got a little further out, the breeze picked up shockingly quickly and because it was blowing from the shore out to sea (offshore wind) together with a strong current heading in the same direction, they were soon in difficulties.
Mum Sarah (name changed for privacy purposes) arrived and the worried parents did the right thing and called 999 to ask for the Coastguard. As they waited for the rescuers to arrive, they were left with no choice but to watch as their sons became harder to see as they were being taken away on the lough’s chilly waters.
Sarah said: "I've never needed to call the Coastguard before and you always try hard to think it’s going to work out ok without calling for help. But this time it wasn’t ok, it was very frightening. As we waited, it was an enormous comfort to have the coastguard rescue team there and know that they would do everything possible to save our boys."
Dangerously cold and wet
The Kilkeel Coastguard Rescue Team and RNLI lifeboat quickly assembled and the Coastguard Officer In Charge (OiC) was able to spot the boys and direct the RNLI lifeboat crew to their location. The brothers had sensibly stayed with the paddleboard to help keep them afloat but when the lifeboat crew arrived, both boys were wet and extremely cold.
Gary, a former coastguard and now a surveyor with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency also volunteers with Kilkeel RNLI. Gary was one of the RNLI crew that afternoon. He said: "By the time we got to them, they were a long way out and drifting into the shipping lane. We were so relieved to find them and we acted quickly to warm them up on the way back to shore as they were dangerously cold and wet."
The Kilkeel RNLI crew took the boys to Warrenpoint marina where they were reunited with their relieved parents and handed over into the care of the coastguard rescue team. The teams advised that both boys should be taken to hospital to be checked over.
The ordeal did not end with the boys arriving on shore, added mum Sarah: "They were both exhausted with all the signs of hypothermia and our youngest son was unusually quiet. By the time we got home from hospital that evening, it was very late but we’re so grateful our boys are safe."
I’d advise anyone to call 999 for the Coastguard if there’s any hint of someone in difficulty at the coast. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Read HM Coastguard's top tips on sea safety.
