Kayaker rescued from icy waters by fishing vessel

The man, thought to be in his 40s, was winched to safety after a fishing vessel responded to his Mayday call.

The kayaker raised the alarm after his boat capsized off the coast of Orkney. Meanwhile, his wife was anxiously waiting for him on a beach nearby.

Shetland Coastguard received a 999 call from the kayaker himself, who was in the water, at 2:55pm yesterday afternoon.

The man, from the Orkney area, who was an experienced kayaker, also issued a Mayday call from a small, handheld radio.

His distress call was heard by the crew of the fishing Vessel Amethyst who went to his aid.

The Coastguard Rescue helicopter was scrambled, and the RNLI Stromness and Kirkwall lifeboats were launched

The kayaker was airlifted from the water one mile off Costa Head and taken to the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall, where he was recovering last night.

A spokeswoman from Shetland Coastguard said the helicopter had difficulty locating the man.

"He was wearing a dark green life jacket and trousers which, against the sea, made him difficult to spot," she said.

Alex Dodge, Watch Officer at Shetland Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, added: "It would be fair to say that the casualty may owe his life to the vigilance of the skipper on the Amethyst and to wearing his lifejacket."