MISSING CANOEIST TURNS UP WRESTLING AT HIGHLAND GAMES

[RSS News Post]

From midday today Clyde Coastguard have been coordinating the search and rescue of a man after his single seat red slalom canoe was located 100 yards offshore near a fish farm at Cairndow on Loch Fyne near Inveraray. The paddles were nearby.

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[Howard Payne]

This is a corker - its worth reading the whole story -

"From midday today Clyde Coastguard have been coordinating the search and rescue of a man after his single seat red slalom canoe was located 100 yards offshore near a fish farm at Cairndow on Loch Fyne near Inveraray. The paddles were nearby.

The first informant who was working at the fish farm rang the Coastguard and said that he had seen the missing man paddling from one side of the Loch to the other and seemingly attempting to return. After that, when he looked again some time later, the man had disappeared. The local police were also aware.

A mayday signal was immediately broadcast into the area alerting other vessels users to anyone in the water. Various vessels responded and began to proceed towards the area. Members of various Coastguard Rescue Teams were immediately sent to the area and the local RNLI inshore lifeboat was also asked to launch. Rescue 177 from Prestwick was also scrambled, and the search concentrated on the area between Dunderave Point and the north end of the Loch.

At the same time, enquiries were taking place on shore as to the location of the missing mans car or campsite location, and his identity.

By 2.10 this afternoon, working on information gleaned locally, the police tracked the missing man who was due to be involved in a scheduled wrestling match at the Highland Games in Inveraray, and he was politely reunited with his canoe by the Coastguard.

Calum Murray, Watch Manager of Clyde Coastguard said

It would appear that the man who is not local had been tipped out of his canoe whilst some way from the shore and had swum back to shore leaving his canoe and paddles drifting in the middle of the Loch which seems to us a little odd. He had then gone to the Highland Games in Inveraray without a word to anyone where he was due to take part in a wrestling match. He is now reunited with his craft.

We would ask anyone who might even think about abandoning a craft or vessel hoping to return to it later might have a thought for the man hours and time the rescue services will spend if a public spirited person rings us innocently thinking the worst has occurred."