By . Peter Allen . A young woman was in hospital yesterday following a 'miracle escape' after being stranded for 36 hours on a paddle board in the English Channel. Clemence Lapayre, 24, set off for a moonlit stroke on Sunday night following a holiday meal with her family in Normandy, northern France. But as she pushed out from the town of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, she suddenly realised she was getting further and further away from the shore. Clemnce Lapayre, 24, was swept out to sea after going for a midnight swim on her paddle board from this village on the Normandy coast . Soon she was in open sea, and being battered by huge waves, high winds and strong currents which threatened to pull her under. Her uncle, Christophe Remy Nerys, told the BFM TV news channel: 'We had had a great night and she decided to paddle under the moonlight without telling us. 'It was not until later the next day we realized she was gone. 'She fell off her board three times. Apparently she tried her best to stay conscious and cling to her board and not let go,' Mr Nerys added. Air and sea searches were launched on Monday but rescuers could not locate the paddle boarder, a fit and experienced sailor. Paddle boarding became popular in California in the 1980s before being exported to Europe . After spending two nights desperately trying to stay on her board, she was finally found on Tuesday at around 3.30 pm, having drifted around 70 miles. She was discovered just off the port of Le Havre by a Belgian fishing boat, and was able to alert her sister to see she was safe. A spokesman for France's national maritime rescue service SNCM said it was a 'miracle' she had been found alive. They said she faced four metre high swells and winds of up to 40 knots. Rescuers took her by boat to the hospital in the town of Fecamp. Paddleboarding is a cross between canoeing and surfing in which paddlers propel themselves across open water while standing up on their boards. It has historic roots, and became particularly popular on the West Coast of America in the 1980s, before being exported to Europe. Ms Lapayre lives in Paris, and is thought to originally come from Canada.
Clemence Lapayre, 24, went for moonlit paddle on Sunday while on holiday .
Was rapidly swept out to sea and became stranded on her paddle board .
Spent 36 hours in Channel before being found by fishing boat near Le Harve .
By . Peter Allen . A young woman was in hospital yesterday following a 'miracle escape' after being stranded for 36 hours on a paddle board in the English Channel. Clemence Lapayre, 24, set off for a moonlit stroke on Sunday night following a holiday meal with her family in Normandy, northern France. But as she pushed out from the town of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, she suddenly realised she was getting further and further away from the shore. Clemnce Lapayre, 24, was swept out to sea after going for a midnight swim on her paddle board from this village on the Normandy coast . Soon she was in open sea, and being battered by huge waves, high winds and strong currents which threatened to pull her under. Her uncle, Christophe Remy Nerys, told the BFM TV news channel: 'We had had a great night and she decided to paddle under the moonlight without telling us. 'It was not until later the next day we realized she was gone. 'She fell off her board three times. Apparently she tried her best to stay conscious and cling to her board and not let go,' Mr Nerys added. Air and sea searches were launched on Monday but rescuers could not locate the paddle boarder, a fit and experienced sailor. Paddle boarding became popular in California in the 1980s before being exported to Europe . After spending two nights desperately trying to stay on her board, she was finally found on Tuesday at around 3.30 pm, having drifted around 70 miles. She was discovered just off the port of Le Havre by a Belgian fishing boat, and was able to alert her sister to see she was safe. A spokesman for France's national maritime rescue service SNCM said it was a 'miracle' she had been found alive. They said she faced four metre high swells and winds of up to 40 knots. Rescuers took her by boat to the hospital in the town of Fecamp. Paddleboarding is a cross between canoeing and surfing in which paddlers propel themselves across open water while standing up on their boards. It has historic roots, and became particularly popular on the West Coast of America in the 1980s, before being exported to Europe. Ms Lapayre lives in Paris, and is thought to originally come from Canada.
being stranded for 36 hours on a paddle board in the English Channel. Clemence Lapayre, 24, set off for a moonlit stroke on Sunday night was swept out to sea after going for a midnight swim on her paddle board from this village on the historic roots, and became particularly popular