A hapless kayaker sparked a major police and coastguard search in near Dorset after trying to carry his 7ft boat 14 miles back home before falling asleep behind a beach hut.
Jordan Lane, 25, was dropped off by a friend at Canford Cliffs and had intended to row back to his house in Barton-on-Sea but after losing one of his oars, decided to carry it all the way home on his shoulder on May 25.
After losing one of his paddles, Jordan gave up on his journey and decided to go to sleep behind a beach hut.
He was last heard from around 6pm and soon after his phone battery had died, causing his worried family to contact the police around 10.30pm.
Jordan Lane, 25, (pictured) sparked a major police and coastguard search in near Dorset after his family didn’t hear from him when he decided to try carrying his 7ft boat 14 miles back home
Jordan, who works in construction said: ‘Basically I was going to pick up this kayak and the plan was to paddle it back.
‘I was dropped off there but in between picking it up and getting to the water I managed to lose an oar on a pit stop.
‘I decided to just carry it back over my shoulder and walk back to Barton-on-Sea, which was about 14 miles.
‘I spent the night sleeping behind a beach hut in Poole and had no idea anyone was looking for me.’
Three RNLI lifeboats searched the water overnight, with two coastguard teams searching on land and the coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lee-on-Solent searching from the air until about 3am.
After losing one of his paddles, Jordan decided against the rest of his journey and decided instead to fall asleep behind a beach hut, unaware of the sea search launched to find him
Jordan said: ‘I’m sorry the police had to spend the night looking for me and am really thankful for what they did.
‘I was probably quite seriously dehydrated and didn’t really know what was going on.
‘They were great and I’ve been speaking today about doing some sort of fundraiser for the RNLI to say thank you.’
Jordan had been sharing updates of his misadventure on Facebook before his battery died. In the first post he said: ‘Anyone know if kayaking Bournemouth pier to Barton on Sea is a good idea?’
He told friends he was setting off at about 3.30pm and aiming to get to Barton on Sea by 8pm but three hours later he posted that he was still in Poole and would be ‘paddling til dinner’.
Jordan Lane was found safe by Dorset police following a disappearance while kayaking
His last post at about 6pm stated ‘#nodinnerforjord’.
Jordan first heard about the large-scale search for him when police found him buying a bottle of water in a Bournemouth supermarket around 8am this morning, after a missing person appeal had been put out.
He was given a lift home by the officers along with the 33lbs orange boat he had been carrying over his shoulder.
Jordan, who is training to join the Royal Marines, apologised to the emergency services for wasting their time and thanked them for their efforts to find him.
He is now planning a sponsored run to raise money for the RNLI.
Fears were initially heightened after the young man’s disappearance came after a number of coastal tragedies over the bank holiday weekend.
Following extensive searches, Jordan was found safe and well in the Bournemouth area on Tuesday morning
A teenage girl and a man both died on the same stretch of Cornish coastline in a Bank Holiday tragedy.
Officers described a ‘very tough day’ in Cornwall amid the two fatalities, which took place in separate incidents on Monday afternoon as the public slowing started taking back to normal life following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Police were first called to reports of an upturned inflatable boat in the water near Porthilly Rock in Wadebridge at around 2.25pm.
Three people were rushed to hospital following the incident and a teenage girl was later pronounced dead, police said.
Emergency services attended another tragedy at Treyarnon Bay, Padstow around five minutes later, when a man was pulled from the water by a member of the public.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and is yet to be identified.
Officers were also called to a third incident following reports a man had been pulled from the water unconscious by surfers in Porthtowan, Truro.
He was transported to hospital by helicopter in a serious condition and is currently receiving treatment.
Chief Inspector Ian Thompson, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: ‘These are extremely upsetting circumstances and our thoughts go out to all involved.
Emergency services attended a tragedy at Treyarnon Bay, Padstow (pictured) on Monday at around 2.30pm, when a man was pulled from the water by a member of the public
‘It has been a very tough day for local emergency services and we are asking for anyone with information on the above incidents to contact police.’
The tragedy came as hundreds of Britons flocked to the coastline over the bank holiday weekend, after Boris Johnson moved to ease coronavirus restrictions a fortnight ago.
Under the relaxed restrictions, people are permitted to spend time outdoors – for example sunbathing, picnicking and enjoying the fresh air. Britons can now exercise outdoors more than once a day, and use outdoor sports courts and facilities.
Residents are also allowed to meet one person from a different household outdoors so long as they remain two-metres apart.
The Prime Minister on Monday night paved the way for even more relaxed restrictions, as he gave the go-ahead for high street businesses to reopen from next month.
Pictured: An air ambulance lands in Padstow after an unidentified man was pulled from the sea
Officers described a ‘very tough day’ in Cornwall amid the two fatalities, which took place in separate incidents on Monday afternoon (Pictured: Padstow on Monday)
Speaking at the daily Covid-19 briefing at Downing Street on Monday evening, Mr Johnson said non-essential shops, including department stores and independent businesses, would reopen from June 15.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be allowed to reopen from June 1 as long as they adhere to strict social distancing guidelines.
The move will provide a welcome boost for businesses forced to close in March at a huge financial cost to themselves and to the Treasury, which has spent hundreds of billions of pounds keeping them afloat and their staff paid.