April 03--A firefighter came up with a creative way Wednesday to rescue two kayakers stuck in the mud near the Beaufort River.
When marine rescue vehicles could not reach the two women, firefighter Andrew Vinson used two backboards like snowshoes to walk across the mud, said Capt. John Robinson of Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department.
The women set out on the river around 3:30 p.m. and went up a nearby creek about a quarter of a mile from the dock where they had launched.
About 45 minutes later, Beaufort firefighters were notified the kayak was stuck in the mud, as victim of the outgoing tide.
Once he reached the kayak, Vinson and the women used the backboards and the kayak to slowly make their way back across the marsh to solid ground, Robinson said.
Six firefighters responded to assist in the rescue, which took about 90 minutes. No one was hurt in the rescue, Robinson said.
"They were no worse for the wear," Robinson said of the kayakers, "just a little embarrassed."
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
Copyright 2014 - The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
