By Ralph Barnett

ARBROATH LIFEBOAT personnel yesterday said the chilly North Sea in April is no place for ‘holiday madness’ as they described just how lucky three local youngsters were at the weekend.

The boys—aged 11, 12 and 13—were plucked from the water off Inchcape Park on Saturday afternoon after they got into difficulties in a small rubber dinghy and found themselves being swept out to sea.

The Arbroath RNLI station’s main vessel, the Inchcape, was out at sea assisting a fishing boat with engine problems when the alarm was raised.

Volunteer staff at the lifeboat station spotted the boys’ plight at the same time as some of their friends on the beach realised they were in difficulties and called the police, and the station’s inshore boat Duncan Fergusson was launched.

Peter Willis, who carried out the rescue with fellow crewman Lorne Watt, said, “It was a stupid thing to do and the three lads were very lucky we were able to get to them in time.

“We were watching the Inchcape heading out to assist the Girl Katherine when we spotted something in the water about a quarter of a mile out. Using binoculars we could see it was a little dinghy with a couple of people in it and, from the way they were waving, it was clear they were in trouble.”

He said they launched the inshore boat, reaching the boys in about five minutes.

“They were tired, cold and very, very wet but were otherwise none the worse for their experience. But, with the ebbing tide and the way the wind was blowing, they had been in a very dangerous situation and if they had been anywhere other than within a short distance of a lifeboat station the outcome could have been very different. One of them had jumped into the water and was trying to push the dinghy back to shore, but that wasn’t going to happen.

“Once we got them back to the harbour, and had the ambulance people check them over, ourselves and the police and coastguard people made it quite clear to them what could have happened. We can only hope they, and other local youngsters, have learned a lesson from this.

“To be honest, I think they were initially more worried about the bother they might get into from their parents than the risk of hypothermia or drowning.

“To reinforce the message, when we got the dinghy back to the station I took a knife to it and threw it in the bin, but we decided to retrieve and keep hold of it for future reference.”

Rachel Martin, RNLI media relations manager for Scotland, added, “Inflatable toys, airbeds and small dinghies are great fun in a pool, but we strongly advise people not to use them in the sea.

“If people do insist on bringing inflatables to the beach then we would urge them to take appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of incident.”

The RNLI advise that children’s inflatables should always have a safety line held by a responsible adult on shore; that the children are kept within sight and easy reach, and that they should never be taken on the water in strong winds or when there are large waves.

Rachel said, “A wind blowing off the land makes the sea look calm, flat and apparently safe, but it can sweep an inflatable out to see very swiftly. It only takes a slight breeze to blow an inflatable out to sea, and surf conditions are particularly dangerous.”