TWO men rescued off Walton Pier after their kayak capsized in choppy seas have thanked the team that got them ashore.

Lee Holt, 67, from Frinton and his friend Jim West, 72, from Holland-on-Sea, were out fishing when they discovered the sea was rougher than they anticipated.

The pair had been out four times this year but the conditions on Wednesday at 11.30am were the worst they have faced.

“We got to our normal spot and anchored,” said Mr Holt. “There was a strong offshore wind which was more noticeable when we got out there than it had been when we were on shore.

“We started drifting towards the Naze and the anchor was not holding. We decided to pick it up and turn back and as we were doing that we turned over. We lost our paddles and rods and ended up in the water.”

The pair managed to right the kayak and saw a yacht coming towards them but Tendring Council’s Beach Patrol got there first.

Harry Castle, 20, was on the team’s jet ski and hitched up the kayak and towed them to the shore where they were looked after by Luke Hood and the rest of the team.

“We were very grateful to have been taken into shore,” added Mr Holt. “But the way they continued to care for us was fantastic. One of them even went out again to try to salvage our equipment.

“Those young people were absolutely brilliant and we cannot thank them enough.”