BUDE RNLI lifeboat crew recently attended a shout to assist a solo kayaker who had capsized on the rocks close to Widemouth Bay.

Crew were paged shortly after 11.30pm on Saturday, July 30 to respond to a 999 call from Ailien Rhijnsburger, a professional kayaker paddling across the UK solo. She was completing a leg from Trevose to Bude and had been unable to land at Bude due to the large surf. When returning south to find alternative safe landing, she had capsized on rocks south west of Widemouth Bay.

The D class lifeboat was tasked and volunteer crew safely launched the lifeboat in the dark through the surf, proceeding to search the area. Lifeboat crew present were Chris Wilson, Liam Sharpe and Mark Palmer, and the lifeboat was launched by Gavin Goatcher.

Staying in contact with Ailien, the volunteer lifeboat crew was able to advise her to flash a light to identify her position. The lifeboat was then manoevered towards her location with caution, due to minimal visibility and large swell.

Ailien was happy to paddle away from the rocks towards the inshore lifeboat, as crew were unable to get any closer. Lifeboat volunteers illuminated the water throughout so she could see her exit route clearly, and she was taken about the D class and transported back to shore with her five metre kayak.

Ailien said: “I had missed my safe haven that I’d planned to land in, so was looking for somewhere else to land. There was too much surf to go into Bude, so I started paddling back and capsized in the surf. The Bude RNLI volunteers came out through the surf and in the dark to save somebody they didn’t know; it’s amazing.

“I had all the recommended safety gear on board, but knew I wasn’t able to get any closer to the shore safely in the surf, so made the call before I got into more difficulty. Everybody at Bude RNLI has been amazing and have gone above and beyond my expectations.”

Following the incident, Ailien was provided with accommodation overnight by a crewmember, and returned to the station in the morning to meet up with crew.

Chris Wilson, Bude RNLI’s lifeboat operations manager, said: “Ailien is an experienced Dutch kayaker and as such was fully equipped, trained and prepared. Her sea experience and the fact that she was carrying the correct safety equipment ensured that the volunteer crew were able to carry out a rescue safely in difficult conditions.

“It just goes to show that even the most experienced people can get caught out by the sea and reiterates the importance of respecting the water.”