On the afternoon of Saturday 24th April strong offshore winds caught out two paddle boarders who ended up more than a mile from Chesil Cove, Portland after getting in to difficulty.
The Coastguard received 999 calls from onlookers who raised the alarm when the pair were unable to get back to shore despite attempts to scramble to safety.
The All Weather lifeboat and the Coastguard helicopter were deployed and by the time that the lifeboat plucked the paddle boarders, a male aged 27 and a female aged 23, from the water they had drifted 1.1 miles out to sea.
With sea conditions on the East of Portland being rough and the need to get the very cold paddle boarders ashore, it was decided to use the Coastguard helicopter to transfer them to the old helicopter base on Portland where they were met by Wyke Coastguard.
The lifeboat was released at 2.33pm and returned to Weymouth lifeboat station at 3.10pm where it was refuelled and made ready for the next shout.
The video below by Geoff Moore of Dorset Media Service shows part of the rescue…