THE Arran Ferry came to the rescue when an inflatable boat began to drift out to sea off Saltcoats last week.

The Caledonian Isles was diverted from its normal route to keep a close watch on the boat until the coastguard could arrive.

The full scale rescue operation was launched shortly after 6pm on Wednesday, September 17 after an eagle-eyed passer-by spotted three men in the blow-up boat drifting out to sea.

A spokesperson for the Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team said: “We were called out just after 6pm to reports of people being blown out to sea in an inflatable near to the Apollo Cinema in Saltcoats.

“Arriving on scene, the team spotted three men who were some distance off shore struggling to paddle back to safety due to the tide and an off shore wind.

“The RNLI lifeboat from Largs had been launched and were making their way to the scene at their best speed with the Caledonian Isles ferry also diverting from its crossing to Arran to assist.

“As the lifeboat arrived on scene, the three men on board had managed to overcome the conditions and made it to the rocks behind the Apollo and were assisted to safety by the team.

“We gave safety advice to those involved as it was clear they were totally unprepared for any sort of maritime activity with no life jackets or other safety equipment available and no consideration had been given to the weather conditions.

“What was intended to be a fun evening enjoying the sun quickly turned into something far more serious but fortunately this time a member of the public had spotted the situation developing and knew to contact the Coastguard.” A spokesperson for Caledonian MacBrayne said: “The vessel was responding to a call from the Coastguard who had received a 999 call reporting an inflatable dinghy in difficulty in the vicinity.

“The situation was monitored until the Largs Lifeboat team arrived on the scene.” The coastguard added: “Blow up boats and toys are great fun in the swimming pool, but we do not recommend their use at the seaside.” “Our advice is quite simple – Play It Safe. If you think you see someone in difficulty at the coast dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

“Fortunately in this instance this is exactly what happened resulting in a successful outcome for all involved.”