A distressed man who tied himself to a buoy more than seven miles out to sea has been rescued by Exmouth RNLI.
The RNLI said the drama began when the crew of a yacht told the coastguard a man in a boat had flagged them down, before allegedly becoming hostile and throwing things at them.
The Exmouth all-weather lifeboat was dispatched, with the crew being joined by two policemen.
When they arrived, the man had moved away from the scene, so a search was conducted, led by the Devon and Cornwall police helicopter. The man’s boat was found, but he was missing.
He was later found attached to a fender buoy, to which he had tied himself with a rope. An RNLI spokesman said he was becoming hypothermic.
The crew took him back to Exmouth and a waiting ambulance, before returning to salvage his boat, which could have been a risk to shipping.
Deputy coxswain Giles White said: “We had to proceed cautiously, but it was quite clear early on that he wouldn’t pose a threat.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here