On Monday morning the SARA Beachley crew saved a kayaker out in the Bristol Channel.

SARA Lifeboat 3, the smaller of the two Beachley lifeboats, had launched at 10.30am and been deployed on a search tasking, below the M4 Second Severn Crossing on an outgoing tide. Whilst heading down to their search area, the crew stopped to speak with a kayaker who was making his way downstream to Bristol in case he had seen anything. SARA 3 completed its search but around 11.45 the crew realised that they had not seen the kayaker again, and they had noticed that the river conditions around the M4 bridge were very choppy. They called the Coastguard to report their concerns and the Coastguard contacted Bristol Vessel Traffic Service (VTS). VTS was able to spot the kayak, now upturned, and together with the Coastguard they were able to vector the SARA Lifeboat onto it in the area of Denny Island.

Fortunately, the kayaker - who did not have a radio or any other means of communication - had clung onto his kayak. He was taken aboard the SARA lifeboat and transported to Portishead where he was handed to the care of Portishead RNLI and the local Coastguard Rescue Team. If the SARA crew had not located him he would have been carried out to sea!

Having completed the handover, SARA 3 was then tasked by the Coastguard to another search area, before recovering back at Beachley at 1300. Quite a morning for the SARA crew!