The St Catherine crew were called out shortly after midday on Saturday when the kayaker got into difficulty when his outrigger stabilisation equipment failed in the heavy swell behind Gorey Castle.
His companion had raised the alarm after making it to shore.
The crew began a shoreline search around Gorey while a Fire and Rescue Service crew took their inshore vessel to Anne Port as conditions were too rough to launch from the Welcome Slip at Gorey.
The firefighters then spotted the man with his upturned kayak and contacted the St Catherine crew.
The kayaker was brought on board the lifeboat before being assessed and, despite having been in the water for almost an hour, he was suffering no more than exposure to the elements.
The crew were also able to recover the hull of the kayak. The lifeboat then went back to Gorey where the man was reunited with his companion and able to change into dry clothing.
The RNLI said the rescue happened in force seven winds and heavy swell, in conditions that were ‘at the operational limits of the inshore lifeboat’.
Nigel Sweeny, lifeboat operations manager for RNLI Jersey, said: ‘This was a challenging rescue in difficult conditions and was ultimately successful thanks to the co-operation between the Fire and Rescue Service, working from the shore, and the lifeboat crew.
‘The successful outcome was in no small part due to the casualty wearing the right clothing and having the presence of mind to stay with his kayak. That meant that he was more easily able to stay afloat, and much easier to spot from both land and sea.’
