Last week Jersey Coastguard was asked to go to the aid of a man dressed in red who reported that he had fallen out of his sleigh during a routine test flight and was stranded on a sandbank. Both RNLI St Helier Lifeboats were launched to assist the intriguing gentleman who was recovered safe and well.
It's good to know that there are people dressed in red suits who would have filled the gap had he not been rescued and 80 of these were seen yesterday braving the wind and driving rain in Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough. In bubbles of up to 15 Santas, they took to the water in aid of the RNLI.
Santa and snowman on board a Stand Up Paddleboard
Iain McCarthy who runs SuphubNI organised the event and he remarked " Stand-up paddleboarding is wonderful - cutting your way through the crystal clear waters of Bangor with the sun beating down on you, safe in your wetsuit and safety gear. Unfortunately, these were not the conditions that met our Santa SUP-pers yesterday, as the rain pelted down and the wind howled. Not enough to put people off though - and a great fun way to raise much-needed funds for RNLI Bangor".
Santa on board Bangor RNLI Lifeboat
The paddle coincided with a training exercise for the lifeboat crew and they welcomed Santa on board, under the watchful eye of volunteer helm Gavin Mitchell.
