WATCH: Anstruther RNLI rescue two paddleboarders drifting out to sea near Kingsbarns Beach

An urgent call was made to the UK Coastguard shortly before 2.30pm on Saturday, June 25. The RNLI team were alerted to the two paddleboarders, who were drifting three-quarters of a mile north of Kingsbarns Beach and struggling to make it ashore.

Arriving first, the lifeboat crew heard cries for help and spotted the pair clinging to the one paddleboard. They were helped onboard the lifeboat, before they were returned safely to Kingsbarns Beach.

The two women told the crew they had been “out here for hours”, and said they didn’t know if they would have made it back without help.

Volunteer crew member Thomas Bett, who was part of the rescue effort, praised the swift actions of the caller in raising the alarm.

He said: “Clear information made it very straightforward for us to locate the two paddleboarders in the nick of time. With wind blowing the two further away from the shore, it was absolutely the correct thing to do in calling for help.

"We urge anyone who spots someone in difficulty at the coast to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

Anyone who is heading out on a paddleboard should wear a floatation device and beware of offshore winds.

The Anstruther Lifeboat Station, which has been operating for over 160 years, has an all-weather lifeboat and an inshore lifeboat launching off the east coast of Fife. The crews have been awarded five medals for gallantry.