Sponsored by
Stricken city windsurfer rescued from high waves
A WINDSURFER from Sheffield had to be rescued by a lifeboat crew after his surfboard was damaged in high winds.
The 46-year-old man was pulled from the North Sea south of Bridlington, East Yorkshire, with one of his rescuers saying weather conditions were the worst he had ever seen.
The lifeboat was launched on Sunday afternoon after the surfer's minder - who waits on the shore to keep a lookout - became concerned and called 999.
No trace of the missing surfer was found when the lifeboat reached his last known position, battling strong winds, surf and spray.
The man was found when the search area was widened, along with another surfer who was trying to help him to shore.
The three-strong crew were unable to retrieve his surfboard because of treacherous conditions.
The man was handed over to the Bridlington Coastguard Rescue Team, while the second windsurfer made his own way back to the beach.
Lifeboat helmsman Stuart Tibbett said they did not go back for the surfboard as the two-metre-high waves would put the boat in danger.
"The conditions were the worst I've taken an inshore boat in, it would have been madness to carry on," he said.
Got a view? Leave a comment below.
Follow The Star on Twitter and Facebook:
For breaking news and sport follow The Star on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sheffieldstar and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheffieldstar .
JOIN THE STAR READER PANEL: The Star is YOUR newspaper, so tell us what you think about it and what you want to see - CLICK HERE.
Don't miss our daily pull-outs - only in the The Star: Monday Star Sport, Tuesday Class Act; Wednesday Business; Thursday Grassroots; Friday Time Out; Saturday Retro. Subscribe to The Star - CLICK HERE
READ MORE
Join the Star reader panel
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
