TWO young men were quite literally up the creek without a paddle when they had to be rescued by Cowes RNLI lifeboat last night (Friday).

The men, aged 19 and 20, were in a canoe which became stranded in treacherous mud at low tide in Newtown Creek. Their cries for help were heard by the crew of a moored yacht who alerted UK Coastguards.

“When we arrived on the scene we found two canoeists who must have been stranded for some while and were very cold,” said the lifeboat helm Jason Hughes.

“They said they had been lent the canoe by a man in an Island pub.

"They had been using sticks instead of paddles, and claimed they had ended up aground because of the unwelcome attentions of a seal.”

After the canoe was pulled off the mud, the men, neither of whom were wearing lifejackets, were brought aboard the lifeboat to be warmed-up.

They and the canoe were then taken to Yarmouth.

Also responding to the incident were Needles mobile coastguards.

The lifeboat, which launched at 8.30pm, returned to station at 10.30pm.