A team of six from Tayside have paddleboarded the length of the Tay in a heroic move to raise money for the RNLI.
The group set off in the early hours of Friday morning from Loch Tay and reached Broughty Ferry lifeboat station at 8.30am on Sunday.
The team were Casey Millar, Steve Haden, Avril Muir, Dave Ashall, Euan Stewart and Mike Hammond.
The journey spanned three days with the group travelling 75 miles, sleeping and camping at the riverside as they went.
On day one, the group covered around 38 miles after setting off from Loch Tay, reaching Meiklour in about 12 hours.
Michael Hammond, one of the group members, told The Courier before setting off: “We are all excited about the event but slightly apprehensive as it is a long way to go and we are taking everything that we need with us on the boards.
“We will have to work our way through some graded water before entering the Tay estuary where we really need the wind to be on our side.
“We will be paddling through all kinds of water from inland loch, graded white water to sea estuary.”
The group was made up of NHS employees, a former police officer and former firefighter, with all members regularly taking part in watersport activities, such as kayaking and open water swimming.
Despite apprehension, the crew completed the entire 75 miles, raising an incredible amount of money for the RNLI branch at Broughty Ferry.
Michael said: “The journey was challenging due to some sections of the river being technically challenging and bringing all the equipment required to wild camp, added to that was the overall duration of paddling 12-13 hour days with very few breaks.
“It was however very enjoyable and is something I would do again.”
‘Without the RNLI, many more lives would be lost’
Established in 1830, Broughty Ferry was the first inshore lifeboat station in Scotland.
Michael said: “Being active in watersports, it is good to know that the RNLI are there.
“We understand the importance of having a magnificent service of the RNLI which is completely reliant on charitable donations for its funding.
“Without them, many more lives would be lost in UK waters.
“Broughty Ferry and the wider areas would not be as safe without them.”
The group set up a JustGiving page to raise money for the charity and had exceeded their £500 target – at £1,654, on Sunday evening.
They are still accepting donations to the page after completing the journey and are keen to raise awareness of the work that the RNLI do for those at sea.
The institute has been running for almost 200 years after being founded back in 1824, with volunteers making up 95% of the organisation.
It was the charity’s founder Sir William Hilary’s aim to provide a search and rescue lifeboat service 24 hours a day, run where possible by volunteers and funded by public donations.
To donate to the paddleboarders you can find their JustGiving page here.
