A lifeboat was involved in a dramatic late-night rescue after two men got into problems searching for their missing dad .
The pair went out on a dinghy in the Firth of Clyde during stormy conditions hours after David Wilson failed to return home.
Hopes were fading last night for the 55-year-old, who was still missing .
Keen boatsman David, also known as Div, had left his car parked on a slip at Cardwell Bay in Gourock on Saturday afternoon.
Friends said he went out on the dinghies as his usual boat was being repaired.
Greenock Coastguard Rescue Team were dealing with another incident when they were called to the scene around 11.30pm on Saturday night.
They received a report that two small vessels were drifting with people on board near Cardwell Bay. Soon after they arrived, Helensburgh Lifeboat members managed to get David’s sons, 33 and 36, to safety.
They were taken ashore and checked over by paramedics.
The lifeboat went back to search for David’s dinghy along with the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, police and Kilcreggan Coastguard Rescue Team.
But the hunt was called off at 4am yesterday due to severe weather conditions.
Rescuers went back out at 10am yesterday before calling it a day at about 3pm.
David’s car was still parked at the slip yesterday afternoon before his brother-in-law arrived to drive it home.
Friends gathered at the scene to wait for news.
Bill Tynan, 79, from Wemyss Bay, said he would stay until his pal was found.
He said: “We took his boat out of the water on Friday because it was going into the garage.
“He was in one of his dinghies when he went missing.
“When he didn’t come back, his two sons went looking for him and they had to be rescued.
“We’ve all got boats and David would come down here regularly and sit for hours looking out at the bay.
“Something has obviously happened and it’s devastating.
“David’s a good pal to everybody.
“I’m going nowhere until he’s been found.”
A woman added: “We’ve all got boats down here and when we heard he was missing, we decided to come and wait for news.”
A police spokeswoman said last night: “The search activity continues.”
