Woman in inflatable kayak rescued four miles from land
The woman was found in the inflatable kayak about 4.5 miles off Rame Head
At a glance
A woman on an inflatable kayak is rescued off south-east Cornwall after sparking a four-hour search operation overnight
She was found about 4.5 miles (7km) away from where she set off
She was brought back to shore by lifeboat after multiple agencies were involved in the operation, including a Royal Navy warship
- Published
A kayaker has been rescued off south-east Cornwall after a four-hour search operation by emergency services and the military.
The woman, on an inflatable kayak, had set off from Whitsand Bay at about 18:30 BST on Monday, before the alarm was raised by a friend at about 23:45, coastguards said.
The search involved several lifeboats, a coastguard helicopter, MoD Police vessel and Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond.
She was found at about 03:30 on Tuesday after she had drifted from Whitsand Bay to about 4.5 miles (7km) off Rame Head, and taken to Plymouth by lifeboat.
Lifeboat coxswain Simon Jeffrey said the rescued woman was "curled up like a little snail inside the little hull"
She was safe but cold, rescuers said.
A Plymouth lifeboat was the first vessel alongside the kayak after the helicopter located her.
Lifeboat coxswain Simon Jeffrey told BBC Radio Cornwall: "We went up alongside her and we couldn't see her at first, even with the helicopter hovering above just shy enough to not tip her over.
"Then I was like: 'Oh, hang on. The coastguard said she was waving to them in the helicopter.'
"It wasn’t until we got alongside [that we saw] she was curled up like a little snail inside the little hull."
HM Coastguard said the woman was checked over after being picked up by the lifeboat and "taken to land where she was handed into the care of South West Ambulance Service".
Also involved in the search were lifeboats from Looe and Fowey, as well as Coastguard Rescue Teams from Tamar and Plymouth searching from land, it added.
Simon Jeffrey and coastguards also warned about the dangers of inflatables.
Mr Jeffrey said: "They are so popular and we don't want to stop anybody enjoy themselves.
"But she had a north-westerly wind, the tide was not in our favour, and she was miles off the shore.
"A tiny, little inflatable that far offshore, you are a needle in a haystack."
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