The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
RNLI rescues stranded teenagers
Four teenagers were rescued by Broughty Ferry lifeboat after being left stranded on Monifieth beach. The group became cut off by the tide yesterday afternoon.
The inshore lifeboat, named Oor Lifesaver, was launched at 4.27pm to rescue them.
The Aberdeen Coastguard requested the lifeboat launch after receiving reports of four stranded people in Monifieth.
Once on scene, the crew found the teenagers who were “in difficulty and had been shouting for help”.
One member of the group had managed to help the other three to shore.
The crew checked over the casualties and remained on scene until officers from HM Coastguard for Angus and Dundee arrived.
As the inshore crew was leaving the scene, they recovered three discarded inflatable objects found in the water.
A spokesperson for Broughty Ferry RNLI lifeboat team said: “These objects have a possibility to result in further tasking, as they may have had someone aboard when they drifted out to sea.
“It is very dangerous for these to be left unattended or left in the water when there are such strong winds.”
The RNLI team recently warned against using inflatable toys out at sea after lifeboats from Broughty Ferry and Kinghorn received six callouts in one day.
The Fife crew was called out at 3.15am on Wednesday after concerns for a person near Portobello.
The person was recovered safely and taken to hospital.
Five hours later the crew was alerted about an unknown object seen floating in the water near Kirkcaldy – which turned
out to be a discarded Christmas tree.
The third call came when residents spotted what appeared to be an inflatable object being blown out to sea.
The Kinghorn crew recovered five deflated toys that had ben pulled out by the tide.
A search was launched alongside the coastguard but nobody was found in the water.
Helmsman Neil Chalmers said: “It was a fairly extensive search but we soon found that the people involved had gone to shore.
“These inflatable toys are completely unsuitable for the sea. I wouldn’t recommend them on open water.
“If you do have one of these inflatables that gets blown away, please do give us a call and just let us know. You’ll never get in trouble for contacting us.”
It was also a busy day for Broughty Ferry’s RNLI crew, which was called out to three incidents in the course of 24 hours.
The first shout came after a boat became unmoored on the River Tay near Perth at 9.36am on Wednesday.
The vessel had begun to drift down the river unaccompanied and the Ferry crew helped secure it and tow it back to Perth.
Just before 6.30pm the crew was called out to another inflatable toy that was empty.
A spokesman for the station said: “We would like to remind members of the public using Broughty Ferry beach that it is currently manned by RNLI lifeguards and the flags on the beach also display an orange windsock, which indicates offshore or strong wind conditions.
“Never use inflatables when the windsock is flying and please do not discard these on the beach.”
The final call of the day came from Invergowrie Bay after reports that windsurfers were struggling in the water.
The spokesman added: “The inshore lifeboat made way at best speed towards Invergowrie as the allweather lifeboat headed along the south shore towards the same area.
“As the ALB was making its way, they spotted two white sails towards the south shore in the area of Balmerino and headed towards them.
“It was then confirmed by the first informant that these were indeed the sails that they had spotted and reported.
“Once alongside, the ALB confirmed these were two small sailing boats and that they were all OK and not in need of any assistance.”