A YOUNG boy on a paddleboard had to be rescued by a passing pleasure cruiser after being blown offshore out into the mouth of the Helford Estuary.

The boy, who was said to be on the last day of his holiday, was paddling off Grebe Beach on Friday afternoon when he was caught by a gust of wind and blown towards the mouth of the estuary.

His father instinctively went in after him on his own paddleboard but the pair became separated and the father also had to be picked up by a passing boat.

The child was eventually picked up and handed over to the safety of the Princessa pleasure cruiser which operates out of Falmouth. The dramatic moment was captured by one of the passengers onboard the Princessa which then called Falmouth lifeboat.

The inshore lifeboat crewed by Luke Wills (helmsman), Tom Bird, Tamara Brookes, Lloyd Barron was launched at around 3.45pm to check on the child's welfare and to ensure no-one else was in difficulty. He was taken onboard by the lifeboat which also picked up the dad from another vessel and took them both back to Grebe Beach.

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A spokesperson for Falmouth Lifeboat said: "The child had been using the paddle board off Grebe Beach when it had been caught by the wind. The father had instinctively launched his own paddle board to try and rescue the child but had got separated. Luckily both were picked up by passing boats."

The full report from Falmouth lifeboat reads: "At 15:44 Falmouth Coastguard requested that Falmouth Inshore Lifeboat be launched following a call from a local pleasure ferry which had reported rescuing a child on a paddle board which was being blown out of the mouth of the Helford.

"The Inshore Lifeboat was tasked to check on the child’s wellbeing and to ensure no one else was in difficulty.

"The Inshore Lifeboat launched from its slipway at 15:52 and having rounded Pendennis Point headed across the bay arriving on scene in the Helford at 16:04. The child and their paddle board were transferred to the Inshore Lifeboat from the ferry. It soon became apparent that the child’s father had also been rescued by a nearby motor vessel, so the father and his board were also transferred to the Inshore Lifeboat before both were taken back to Grebe Beach where they were safely landed at 16:20, the Inshore Lifeboat then being released to return to its station.

"The Inshore Lifeboat was recovered on to its slipway at 16:37 where it was refuelled and made ready for service by 17:00."