Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordons Bay station commander, said: At 18h12, Wednesday, 22 March, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a man and a woman on a double kayak appearing to be in difficulty off-shore between Gordons Bay Harbour and Harbour Island.
GB Med ambulance services monitored the couple from CCTV cameras and while caught in strong winds, about a nautical mile4 off-shore, they capsized.
The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski was launched and on arrival on the scene the couple, a local husband and wife, both wearing life-jackets, were rescued onto our NSRI rescue craft.
Both were suffering severe hypothermia.
They were brought to our NSRI Gordons Bay rescue station where they were treated by GB Med paramedics.
Following medical treatment at our rescue station they were released requiring no further assistance.
It appears that they had launched in light winds but while paddling the winds picked up considerably over a short space of time.
Their kayak was not recovered and remains adrift at sea.
NSRI are appealing to boaters, paddlers and sailors to download and use the NSRI RSA SafeTrx smartphone application.
The eye-witness who raised the alarm is commended for contributing to their lives being saved.
