Canoeist saved from death in Forth storm
Published: September 20, 2004
Rescue drama in estuary after massive wave capsizes craft
A CANOEIST has told how he feared for his life after being struck by a 10ft wave in the Forth of Forth.
Stuart Gray, 34, was found by rescuers clinging to his water-filled canoe and suffering from hypothermia in the major shipping lane.
The landscape architect from Linlithgow, West Lothian, had set off to reach an island with friend Alister Low, 34, from Stirling, when they got into trouble.
As the pair set out from Braefoot Bay, on the Fife coast, to cross the water, the conditions dramatically changed.
The tide turned and the wind increased whipping up massive 10ft waves.
Mr Gray was knocked out his canoe by a giant wave and was unable to get back in.
With conditions deteriorating, Mr Low decided to leave his friend and head for shelter where he used his mobile phone to call for help.
Mr Gray said: “Alister and I planned a short trip from Silver Sands in Aberdour to Inchcolm and we were caught out.
“We paddled to Braefoot Bay where we had a bite to eat and tried to cross the channel to Inchcolm, but the tide had changed direction and, with the high winds, the conditions suddenly became terrible.
“The water was really rough and was knocking us about. It seemed to change within 15 minutes.
“I was knocked out of my canoe and although I managed to get back in again. I just kept being continually knocked back into the water and the canoe was taking on water all the time.
“The waves were climbing to two metres and I was stuck and started to feel the cold.
“I was in the water for around half an hour and started to turn blue, when I heard the helicopter arrive. I have never been so grateful in my life.
He added: “They dropped me off on the beach at Kinghorn lifeboat station.
“It will be a while and a lot more training and experience before I go back out on the water again.
“I can’t thank the crews enough for their help. They are just the bees knees.” A search-and-rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer was directed to the scene and the Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat was launched at 2.15pm on Saturday to search for the stricken canoeist.
The helicopter, which was first to arrive, spotted Mr Gray and winched him from the sea.
The lifeboat, which arrived on the scene at 2.30pm, rescued Mr Low and took him and the two canoes back to Kinghorn where he was reunited with Mr Gray.
Mr Low said: “We had prepared safety drills in which one could rescue the other, but the conditions were just so bad, there was no way I could help Stuart.
“It was bad enough trying to keep myself in the canoe as the waves were pounding us from different directions.
“I had a phone and made my way back to the shelter of Inchcolm so I could call for help.”
Mhairi Hay, a member of the lifeboat crew said, the conditions were some of the worst she had come across.
She said: “There was a 2-3 metre swell and a strong south-westerly wind blowing, which made conditions difficult for the lifeboat heading into it.
“It is the roughest sea, I have personally had to steer through. Kinghorn Bay is so sheltered, you sometimes get a surprise at how rough the main channel can be, and I think the canoeists were caught out as well.
“Luckily, there was a helicopter nearby who managed to lift Stuart from the water fairly quickly given the conditions.
“Both guys are very sensible, but sea conditions can change so quickly and I think they were caught out.
“People sometimes forget just how cold even the sheltered waters of the Forth can be with prolonged exposure.”
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