Hartlepool RNLI crew rescue two men who were 'clinging to their kayak' after it capsized in cold seas

Hartlepool Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers were paged at 6.08pm on Monday, April 8, by Humber Coastguard to assist the two men after they struggled to get back into their fishing kayak off the town’s coast at Middleton.

The inshore lifeboat Solihull and four volunteer crew members launched at 6.22pm and were alongside the casualties within minutes.

An RNLI crewmember entered the water to assist the casualties who were taken aboard the inshore lifeboat and brought back to the Ferry Road lifeboat station.

Casualty care was then provided until an ambulance arrived.

Inshore lifeboat helm Ken Hay said: “When we arrived at the scene the casualties were clinging to their kayak and were quite distressed and having been in the sea for around 20 minutes the two males were suffering with the cold conditions and had swallowed sea water.

"But within a few minutes we were back at the lifeboat station with them where they began to recover and a short time later we handed them over to the ambulance crew when they arrived who took them to hospital to be checked over.”

Hartlepool Lifeboat operations manager Chris Hornsey said: “Once again a quick response from the volunteer crewmembers brought the incident to a safe conclusion.

"It's the public donations that help us provide the service that helps save lives at sea such as tonight's incident.”

The RNLI has launched a fundraising campaign called RNLI Mayday Mile.

Further details are available at www.fundraise.rnli.org/event/mayday-mile/home.

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