6th June 2009 Fishguard blog
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14-15 June 2009 Fishguard to Arklow
Sail into Fishguard
The events of yesterday's sail seem have been greatly exaggerated and, in some cases, incorrectly reported. We sailed from Milford Haven for Fishguard. On Thursday we had come over to Fishguard to talk to the coxswain of the RNLI. He was extremely generous with his time and knowledge and we talked about our planned route in some detail, although not to the level of precise waypoints! He offered to come out to escort us in and we took up his very kind offer to use the inshore lifeboat to transfer me from my boat to the shore as it was the only practical way of bringing me ashore.
We had a good sail to St David's Head, but about 2 miles off "Scrumble Head" the wind picked up and I contacted the support crew to ask for someone to come and put the final reef in the sail. This was done successfully, but 10 minutes later the weather had deteriorated and I made the decision to drop the sails and ask for a tow. This is what I would do in any situation where the weather conditions demanded it - so far this year it has been because there has not been enough wind. We were in an area which is notoriously difficult for VHF (marine radio) communications. As the wave height picked up I made the decision to contact the Coast Guard and ask for assistance from Fishguard Lifeboat. We had not received any of their transmissions which I now understand they had been making for some time at the request of the lifeboat coxswain as we were overdue. Once communication was established we were able to talk to the Coast Guard and listen to conversations between them, my support vessel and the lifeboat. The lifeboat arrived extremely promptly and various plans were made to transfer me and the support crew member on board Arty into the warm and dry lifeboat. It would appear that most of these plans were considered to be inappropriate at the time. With the help of the Stenna Vessel "Stenna Europe" an attempt was made to get close to the Artemis, but it just wasn't practical.
After this attempt the lifeboat crew stood by and tried to protect us from the worst of the swell whilst my support vessel towed us straight into Fishguard harbour. It was a pretty horrible experience - both myself and the crew member got very wet and cold. We were concerned that I might become hypothermic as I am unable to control my own body temperature and don't know whether I'm cold or not! The lifeboat crew had already organised an ambulance to stand by at the lifeboat station. It was a huge relief to get behind the breakwater and the inshore lifeboat team did a great job transfering both my support crew member and me from my seat into their boat - not an easy job as my seat has been specially moulded around me!
The inshore lifeboat is able to be winched up a steep slip. The cold and wet conditions had taken their toll on my breathing and I needed a couple of breaths from my carer once we reached the top. This can be quite alarming to watch, but usually it gets me going again. They transferred me into the waiting ambulance, where we had time to strip me off as water had got down into my clothing through my neck. I was cold and wet and the crew gave me oxygen as a precautionary measure, but they realised immediately that I was not hypothermic. I spent a couple of hours in Withthybush hospital being warmed up, but was conscious and asking to go home from the moment I got into the ambulance!
Sailing is a sport which will occasionally catch the most experienced yachtsman out in the weather. We are trying to achieve something which has never been done using new technology for people as disabled as I am. This means tackling difficult sails, as any sailor who want to progress must eventually do. This is why I sail with a support boat. I would just like to thank them for their professionalism under difficult circumstances and also thank the part of the crew who remain on land for making sure that everything ran smoothly once we reached Fishguard.
We are all extremely grateful for the assistance of the Coxswain, Relief Coxswain and crew of the Fishguard lifeboat for their help and support. It was a huge relief to see them in the dark and to know that they were standing by should there be any difficulty.
Page last updated on 6 June 2009 at 23:21