NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND, June 16 (World Daily Times) — A sightseeing trip around Northumberland’s Farne Islands turned into a rescue mission Sunday when crew from Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours found a dog adrift in an inflatable kayak in the North Sea and brought it back safely.
The dog, Bruce, was reunited with his owner at Seahouses Harbour, according to Serenity and local rescue accounts.
Captain Jimmy Reid and crew member Aaron Fordy were taking guests around the Farne Islands when they heard a Coastguard call at about 3:30 p.m. reporting that a dog in an inflatable kayak had been blown out to sea near Bamburgh Beach, Serenity said.
Serenity said the crew dropped passengers at Inner Farne and joined the search as the Coastguard alerted nearby vessels. Seahouses RNLI also took part in the response.
Reid said he estimated where the kayak was likely to drift, and the Serenity crew found Bruce several miles offshore.
As the boat came alongside, there was at first no sign of the dog in the kayak, according to the crew’s account. Bruce then appeared, slipped from his harness into the water during the recovery and was pulled aboard.
The crew wrapped Bruce in towels and took him back to Seahouses Harbour, where he was reunited with his owner.
Reid later told the BBC he felt emotional during the rescue and was “ecstatic” once Bruce was safely recovered.
