It had to be an adventure: crossing the Channel in a kayak. But in the end, a Briton (28) almost lost his life. During his journey, which he started on October 15, there were problems and the kayak suddenly capsized. And the 28-year-old man was only wearing a swimming trunks and was not wearing a life jacket.
As the British newspaper “Daily Mail” reports, the man climbed on a floating light buoy and clung to it with all his strength. He had to persevere for several days. His diet at the moment: seaweed and mussels. Finally a fishing boat passed by.
The captain of the cutter vessel De Madelaine of the Dutch shipping company T. de Boer en Zonen saw the Briton on the buoy on Thursday when he waved and called for help. Despite the changeable weather, the crew managed to rescue the stranded man. They threw him a lifebuoy and pulled him aboard.
‘It’s a miracle he survived’
His body temperature was only 26 degrees. He was immediately wrapped in blankets and the Coast Guard was alerted. Not having the strength to thank his rescuers with words, he formed a heart with his hands.
When he got better, he was able to tell the crew how he got to the buoy. “It’s a miracle he survived,” said a member of the fishing boat’s crew. He was incredibly lucky, because the fishing boat wasn’t going to be around. But because they had caught little in the morning, they kept driving around. The Briton was taken by helicopter to a French hospital. (lrc)