A grandad was blown three miles out to sea with his 11-year-old granddaughter after day trip to the coast went dramatically wrong.
Steve Close, 61, and Alyssa were swept away on a paddleboard and kayak in Pevensey Bay, Sussex.
Luckily navy veteran Steve had his mobile phone on him and was able to ring his wife Sharon who was watching from the shore.
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She raised the alarm and 50 minutes later, RNLI’s inshore lifeboat from Eastbourne found the pair, as reported by Need To Know.
Steve, who spent 24 years in the Navy, said: “We were in the shallows to start off with when my granddaughter dropped her paddle.
“I kayaked over to get it and she started quickly drifting.
“Then the wind caught us and took us out to sea.
“I phoned Sharon to ask for help and she called 999 for the coastguard.
“We kept drifting so I got Alyssa into the kayak and we lashed it together with the paddleboard.”
Alyssa said she found the whole incident very worrying.
She said: “I didn’t think it would end up us drifting that much.
“I was really nervous and anxious when I knew we would need rescuing.
“But it happened so fast.
“I was glad grandad had his phone with him.
“It scared me afterwards when they told us how far out it was.”
The pair were taken back to shore chilly but safe and well where they were met by Eastbourne Coastguard Rescue Team.
Steve added: “We did the right thing.
“Everyone knew where we were and someone was on the beach able to keep a lookout.
“I was used to the currents but the wind just overtook us.
“Once we were beyond the sandbar we were in deeper water and we dared not get out.”
RNLI National Water Safety Partner, Sam Hughes, said: “We always want people to enjoy our coastline but we are urging everyone to think carefully before heading out.
“Our rescue data shows that almost half of lifeboat launches to paddle boarders were due to offshore winds and tides3 something water users can check before hitting the water.
“If you are on a lifeguarded beach keep an eye out for the orange windsock to see which way the wind is blowing.”
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