A Leigh boat crew found itself at the heart of a dramatic rescue at the weekend after an exhausted kite surfer was swept adrift, and almost died.

At about 8pm on Saturday the Dover Coastguard alerted the RNLI Southend Lifeboat and ambulance service to a person in trouble in the sea.

The stricken kite surfer was initially spotted by a large ship moored at an anchorage, which was being supplied with parts by the smaller Assassin boat, which is owned by Mike’s Boatyard, a well-known family firm which has operated in the area since 1950.

The Assassin then moved in to help the man, with crew throwing him a safety rope. They managed to get him onboard and helped him keep warm before the lifeboat arrived.

When rescued, he had been stranded in rising waist-high water, about a mile and a quarter from the shore and two-and-a-half miles east of Southend Pier, for an hour - having already been surfing for a number of hours.

James Francis, 23, who was working on Saturday as the skipper of the Assassin, said: “It was completely by chance that we saw him at all - without the larger ship having the advantage of being able to spot him it could have been much worse.

“We have an obligation, not just legally but morally too, to help the coastguard out in the case of any distress call - but this was completely out of the ordinary and a lot more serious than anything I’ve dealt with before.

“When we got to him he was already starting to turn blue and was clearly in shock - it was starting to get dark too and then it would have been incredibly difficult to find him. It is such a relief to know that we were able to step in just in time.” Once the RNLI lifeboat had reached the shoreline, an East of England ambulance crew transported the man to Southend Hospital. An air ambulance also attended the scene.

The HM Coastguard Southend crew have advised thrill-seekers to ensure that they carry a safety pack (including items such as an emergency beacon, mobile phone, and safety line), as well as informing family members about their whereabouts.