Nikki Featherstone and her four-legged friend were 'very cold and shaken' after finding themselves a quarter of a mile off the Hartlepool coast. A paddle boarder and her pet chihuahua became stranded a quarter of a mile out to sea. And had to be dramatically rescued.
Nikki Featherstone and her dog had been enjoying a spot of paddleboarding in Hartlepool. And when they found themselves dragged out to sea and stranded.
The Billingham pet owner managed to call the Coastguard and cling to the paddleboard until help arrived. Meanwhile, she and her puppy were freezing.
The Coastguard called the RNLI around 9.40 am on Tuesday. And the inshore lifeboat 'Solihull' and three volunteer crew members were alongside the pair a few minutes later.
Stranded and Alone
Nikki and her two-year-old chihuahua Remy were found a quarter of a mile from the coastline. They were taken onboard the lifeboat and returned to the beach safely.
Then, Nikki and her dog landed safely on Seaton Carew beach. That was close to the Sandy car park, where a local coastguard team was ready to help.
Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat helm, Ken Hay, said: "The paddleboarder, who was very cold and a bit shook by the event, did the right thing by ringing the Coastguard and staying with her board.
"She was apologetic for calling us out. But, we were glad to help and bring the incident to a safe conclusion."
Paddleboarder Nikki from Billingham added: "I'm grateful to the RNLI crew who were amazing. And I'd just like to say the biggest thanks to all of them."
