Bangor RNLI rescues two girls on paddleboards off the coast of Ireland

Bangor RNLI came to the rescue of two paddleboarders after they got into difficulties off the coast of Ireland

The Bangor RNLI crew launched to rescue two young paddleboarders who had got into difficulty just outside Ballyholme bay, County Down.

The Bangor lifeboat “Jessie Hillyard” launched at around 5 pm on 8 April after receiving a call from the public alerting them of two young girls being in trouble. The paddleboarders had been caught out by an offshore wind that was causing them to drift further out to sea.

Although it was a beautiful afternoon, the girls hadn’t factored in the offshore wind, which led them to them getting progressively more tired as they tried to return to base at Ballyholme Yacht Club.

The Bangor RNLI lifeboat, helmed by Peter Semple, made light work of picking up the two girls and their boards and returning them to the slipway at Ballyholme Yacht Club, where they were passed into the care of HM Coastguard.

After the rescue, Semple said: “We are delighted to have been able to return the two girls to safety. On arrival at the scene we were pleased to see that they were both wearing wetsuits and buoyancy aids, and had just misjudged the offshore wind.”