A HELICOPTER crew winched five people from the sea off Exmouth yesterday after their rowing boat overturned.
The emergency services were alerted just after 11am when eye-witnesses described seeing people in the water and an overturned boat.
The coastguard helicopter rescued all five rowers and took them directly to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter where they were treated for mild hypothermia.
The rowers - three men and two women - were members of Exmouth Rowing Club on a regular Sunday training row and were aged between 16 and 60.
Brixham Coastguard Watch Manager Andy Huber said: "Only two of the five people rescued were wearing lifejackets, although there were other lifejackets in the boat.
"Although we understand that some people can find lifejackets restrictive when undertaking sports such as rowing, there are a wide variety of different lifejackets designed for rowing and other sports.
"The water temperature today was 12 degrees Celsius with choppy seas, and in conditions like these it is not long before hypothermia sets in and without a lifejacket you will find it difficult to keep afloat.”
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