| Sarah Smith’s son Conor got into difficulty off Broughty Castle when the strong wind and tide caused his inflatable boat to drift away from the beach.
Fearing for her son’s safety, Sarah (36), of Hazlehead Street, tried to rescue him but could not get close enough due to the strong tide and stiff easterly breeze.
However, potential tragedy was averted when two quick-thinking teenagers jumped in to save the day and pulled the youngster to safety.
The grateful mother said she was terrified when she realised her son was in real danger. “Conor was in the water in the dinghy but he wasn’t far away, he was right beside us on the beach.
“I turned around for a few seconds and the next minute my friend was saying he was going out a little bit too far.
“I shouted for Conor to come in but as he was trying, the waves started to come in.
“I was hysterical and started shouting at him to get out of the boat. He was trying to get in but the waves were going against him, I was panicking and I jumped into the water to get him.
“There were rocks right beside the beach and I am not a very good swimmer and I just saw him going further away.”
Two boys visiting the beach with friends, 14-year-old Henry Rymer, of Nether Finlarg, and Finlay Redford (15), of Broughty Ferry, heard the cries for help and without any thought for their own safety ran straight into the river to help the 12-year-old.
Sarah continued, “Two teenagers ran in to help us. One of them, called Henry, jumped straight in with all his clothes on. He swam towards Conor and got to him. He even lost his mobile phone when he jumped in. Another boy, Finlay, also jumped in to help.
“It was only 20 minutes but seemed like two hours. The boys grabbed Conor and brought him to the ladder where the castle is.”
Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident and Sarah is keen to thank everyone for their help and kindness.
“People were really wonderful and were bringing us towels and trying to calm us down.
“The young people who helped us were so wonderful. I feel so bad about them losing the phone, they could have lost their lives — I am so grateful.”
The Broughty Ferry inshore lifeboat arrived just as Conor was being taken to safety and after making sure all the casualties were safe and well, the crew recovered the dinghy, which had by then drifted to a position in the middle of the Tay opposite Broughty harbour. |
