KEITH'S RESCUE
As you will all be aware by now, Keith was the unfortunate victim of a force 11-12 storm 50 miles off of the Irish coast on Saturday 2nd July. Due to the level of rescue involved and the events which followed, it has been necessary to set up a separate page. Keith's ordeal started at approx 07:00 on the 02/07/05 ending at 17:15 on the 03/07/05. Here is his story.
On Saturday morning, Keith spoke to the Coastguard at Malin Head, who advised him that there was a force 8-9 gale coming up within the next few hours, and asked Keith whether he would be trying to make it to land or to sit it out. Given that the nearest land was 8 hours away, and were difficult waters to negotiate at best, he decided that he would be better off sitting the storm out.
However, by 17:00hrs the force 8-9 grew to a force 10-11.
As Keith tried to make radio contact with the Coastguard, the force of the storm made the wind generator spin to such speed, that one of the blades flew off, and shook the boat uncontrollably. The force was so strong that it threw the jib out, and it was at that point that Keith lost all radio contact with the Malin Head coastguard, and the boat capsized. He immediately put out a mayday call, which was picked up by a passing research ship, called Celtic Warrior, who alerted the Coastguard. Keith battened down the hatches and sat waiting patiently for assistance. He was soaked through to the skin and had sustained further injuries to his ribs. As the storm tossed the boat around, all Keith could do was make himself as secure as possible, and move items inside in an effort to distribute some weight, so as to try and get Nephele back on an even keel.
Meanwhile, Malin head coastguard having received the mayday via the passing ship, called out the rescue helicopter at Sligo, and because Keith’s position was so far away from land, an RAF Nimrod, based at Kinross in Scotland, was also dispatched. The RNLI lifeboat crew at Arranmore were also alerted and left the station at 23:00hrs.
Due to Keith losing radio contact and the damage the jib had taken, he had no way of knowing if help was on its way, until both helicopters arrived on the scene at the same time to airlift him to safety. However the storm was still at force 10-11, and ropes and part of the sail were flying around on the deck, and Keith decided that rather than put the helicopter crews life at risk, he declined the air rescue, as he felt with things being thrown around outside, it could easily cause the lift rope to get caught and pull the helicopter down with it. The air rescue team left the scene, with Keith’s co-ordinates, so they could give them to the RNLI crew who were on their way. However, little did they know but with the damage to the boat, Keith was sailing around in a semi circle, so when the RNLI got to Keith’s co-ordinates, he had been moved off course. This meant more searching around his last known area.
Keith, unaware that the RNLI were searching for him still, tried to get some sleep wherever possible.
It was around 04:00hrs that Keith awoke to the sun shining in his face. It took him a while to realise that this sunshine was actually the floodlight on the RNLI lifeboat, and they had found him! After the relief that help had come, he made contact with the crew, went out onto the deck, and harnessed himself to the safety line which runs around Nephele’s rails. Due to the 10-11 meter waves that were crashing around them, and the fact that it was still dark, the lifeboat team decided it would be far too dangerous to try and attempt to get near Nephele under those conditions. So Keith and the lifeboat crew stayed together until daybreak.
Once dawn had broken, it was decided that they would throw a tow rope to Keith, so that they could tow him in. Keith caught the tow rope, but it wrapped around his foot and the jib sail, and as the 10 meter waves hit the boat, Keith was thrown overboard as Nephele capsized again! The lifeboat crew thought they had lost Keith, but were amazed when he emerged from the sea, pulling himself up onto Nephele’s deck with the tow rope. The jib sail, which Keith had painted himself with an image of Lord Nelson, in its torn state had wrapped itself around the tow rope and had saved his life!!
Once the tow rope was securely attached, the decision was made to tow the boat to Burtonport, which was approximately 40miles off. The weather was still atrocious and Keith’s broken ribs, meant it was too dangerous to attempt towing at any speed, so a steady 5 knots had to be maintained. Keith had been capsized several times, in freezing cold water, and sat huddled in wet clothes with broken ribs on Nephele waiting to get to Burtonport, when the lifeboat crew decided that when 20 miles away from the port they would launch the ‘Y’ boat, as Keith had been asked to radio in every ½ hour, and he seemed to be getting confused. They felt that hypothermia was setting in and needed to get blankets and hot food to Keith as soon as possible. Once they had reached calmer sea, they transferred Keith from the ‘Y’ boat to the lifeboat, where the crew administered first aid. He arrived in Burtonport at about 17:15hrs with Nephele on tow, where there was an ambulance waiting to take him to Letterkenny General Hospital, where he was x-rayed and found to have 2 more broken ribs! He was released from hospital the following evening.
The Arranmore life boat crew refuelled at Burtonport, and returned to their base at 22:15hrs. They had just completed a 22hour rescue mission.
We are indebted to the bravery of the Arranmore lifeboat crew. It was the longest rescue mission for years and years. We believe that the crew have been nominated for bravery awards. For what they went through to get to Keith that night they more than deserve it.
Photos of the rescue and Arranmore lifeboat crew click here.
More information on news articles covering this event, click on the icons below:
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