A couple on a double kayak were rescued at sea between Gordon’s Bay Harbour and Harbour Island last Wednesday (22 March), thanks largely to eyewitness reports and the swift reaction of GB Med Rescue ambulance services and NSRI Gordon’s Bay duty crew.
According to Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordon’s Bay station commander, the incident occurred at 18:12, when NSRI Gordon’s Bay duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a man and a woman on a double kayak appearing to be in difficulties off-shore.
The couple was monitored on security cameras and, caught in strong winds about a nautical mile off-shore, they capsized. “The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski was launched and on arrival on the scene the couple, a local husband and wife, both wearing life-jackets, were rescued and lifted onto the craft,” Meiklejohn stated. “Both were suffering from severe hypothermia.”
He added the couple were brought to the NSRI Gordon’s Bay Rescue Station, where they were treated by GB Med Rescue paramedics. “Following medical treatment at our rescue station they were released requiring no further assistance. It appears they had launched in light winds, but while paddling the winds picked up considerably over a short space of time.”
NSRI appealed to boaters, paddlers and sailors to download and use the NSRI RSA SafeTrx smartphone application. “The eyewitness who raised the alarm is commended for contributing to lives being saved.”
