The inshore rescue boat brings the girls back to shore. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0604812)

TWO teenage girls were rescued by the inshore rescue boat yesterday after their dinghy was taken out to sea by the wind.  The 17-year-olds were rowing around Pembroke Bay in an inflatable  dinghy, with only one paddle, when they got into difficulty.

A concerned golfer could see they were struggling and called the Ambulance and Rescue Service just after 5pm. Meanwhile, dental technician Liam McKenna was at the Mirage Family Bistro, which he owns, and was cashing up when he was told the girls were drifting further from shore.

He grabbed a kayak and rowed out to them to see if he could help. ‘I’m so thankful the rescue boat came so quickly,’ said Mr McKenna.  ‘I had hold of the dingy but there’s no way I could have got them back to shore against the wind and the rain,’ he said.

‘The girls were tired and distressed.’ Once the rescue team could see Mr McKenna was making no headway, the boat was launched from the slipway at 5.40pm.

The girls were taken aboard and back to shore, uninjured, with the dinghy in tow. Mr McKenna rowed back to shore unaided.