Teignmouth boy rescues kayaker being swept out to sea
- Published
Jay Springall leapt into action when he overheard a conversation about a kayaker getting into difficulty
A 10-year-old boy who helped to rescue a kayaker from being swept out to sea has been hailed a "little hero".
Jay Springall, from Teignmouth, Devon, rushed to the woman's aid when he heard she was having difficulty in the strong current.
Mum Katie Davis said Jay jumped into his dinghy, reached the stricken kayaker, and began towing her to shore until lifeboat crews arrived.
She said she was "very proud" of her son, as first reported by Devon Live, external.
Ms Davis said Jay had been around boats since he was a toddler and spent most of his free time on the water with dad Ken.
The pair were having breakfast together when Jay overheard a conversation about a kayaker in difficulty, she said.
Jay, who was in contact with his father, reached the woman and offered her a ladder into his own boat, but she was too exhausted to climb aboard.
"She was out of the kayak hanging on to it and she was heading out towards the sea... by that point she was very weak; she couldn't swim much more," Ms Davis said.
"The current in the Teign is strong and it was just sweeping her out."
Jay called his dad for advice, tied the woman's kayak to his own boat and began heading towards the shore until a lifeboat crew arrived to take over .
"They said 'thank you' to Jay and said he was a little hero," Ms Davis said.
Jay spends all of his free time with his dad Ken on their boats
Ms Davis said the kayaker visited them on Monday evening to thank Jay properly and bring him some gifts.
While Jay "did a remarkable job", Teignmouth RNLI said "people should firstly phone 999 and ask for the coastguard" if they see someone struggling in the water.