Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

From "Ayrshire Post" dated Friday 20th July 1973

Midnight swim girl rescued

A 19-year-old Glasgow secretary, Miss Eileen McDonald, of 16 Wensmoor Road, Nitshill, was rescued from the sea off Irvine early on Sunday, after she had been swept out on an ebb tide during a midnight swim.

She had gone swimming with three companions from the south shore, and when her friends lost touch with her they immediately raised the alarm.

Troon lifeboat was called out, and Police put out on the Irvine Harbour Pilot boat "Ruby 2"

A FAINT CRY

As the Pilot boat headed out from the Harbour, the Pilot, Tom Rutherford (29) detected a faint cry coming from a direction opposite to the boat's course.
He swung the boat round to investigate, and Police saw the exhausted girl swimming about 200 yards offshore.

A lifebelt was thrown, and when the Pilot managed to manoeuvre the boat close to the girl, she was lifted on board and taken back to the harbour.
Miss McDonald was then taken to Kilmarnock Infirmary for a check-up and treated for exposure, but was able to return home later in the day.

Mr. Rutherford said "The girl was dead-beat. Her first shouts were fairly loud but by the time we got her out of the water she was too tired to shout at all."