At around 18:16 on September 20, a member of the public contacted Sidmouth Lifeboat boathouse to report that his son had phoned him from his kayak and was struggling to paddle back in against the tide.

The lifeboat launched and located the kayaker, a little tired but otherwise in good spirits, around 1.5 miles off the coast of Sidmouth.

Both the kayaker and kayak were taken aboard and returned to Sidmouth.

Sidmouth Lifeboat then immediately responded to a Pan Pan for a broken-down vessel off Sherborne Rocks. On arrival it was established that the vessel was having engine trouble and required a tow back to Axmouth Harbour.

The vessel was well-maintained, had recently been serviced and all persons on board had lifejackets. The owner had a good knowledge of the sea conditions, a VHF radio and appropriate training.

A spokesperson for Sidmouth Lifeboat said: “They had done everything right, which just goes to show that sometimes things happen that are out of your control and highlights the importance of being properly equipped for the sea.”

Sidmouth Lifeboat crew towed the vessel back to Axmouth and the Lifeboat returned to station.
Helm: Si Priestley, Crew: Ed Birch, Katrina McIlveen, Tony Martin, Tractor Driver: Pete Rosenfeld, Shore Crew: Cameron Baker, Jim Brewster, Brian Taylor, Kyle Baker, DLA: Andy Mitchell.