'I thought I might miss Christmas' – Axmouth fishing boat survivor thanks lifeboat crew that saved him

By Francesca Evans

21st Dec 2021 | Local News

Brian Harding with the lifeboat crew members who rescued him (from left) Tom Crabbe, Rich Tilley, Tim Edwards and Andy Butterfield
Brian Harding with the lifeboat crew members who rescued him (from left) Tom Crabbe, Rich Tilley, Tim Edwards and Andy Butterfield

A 72-year-old angler has spoken out for the first time on how he survived when a fishing boat capsized and he floated on his back, without a lifejacket, for at least 40 minutes.

Brian Harding, from Chard, suffering from a broken leg, was rescued by the volunteer crew of Lyme Regis lifeboat after the 15 foot fishing vessel was overwhelmed by a wave near the mouth of the River Axe, at Axmouth.

The incident on November 14 sparked a major rescue operation involving two lifeboats, coastguards ashore and the coastguard helicopter.

Mr Harding said: "I was so lucky to be found by the lifeboat crew when I was. Another 20 minutes and it could so easily have been a very different story.

"I began to think I might miss Christmas. It really was one of those days when I thought I should have stayed in bed."

Mr Harding, whose leg was in plaster after an accident at home, was airlifted from the lifeboat and taken to hospital in Dorchester. He was discharged after a few hours.

He visited the Lyme Regis lifeboat crew on Sunday to thank them and to make a donation.

Mr Harding added: "I felt I had to meet the guys who rescued me so that I could put the issue to bed and recognise what these volunteers do out of the goodness of their hearts."

Three men were aboard the boat when it capsized. The other two men involved preferred not to comment.

     

New seaton Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: seaton jobs

Share:

Related Articles

Construction on the site off Henley Road was stopped by Warwick District Council (image by Heather Nicholls)
Local News

Public inquiry into traveller site near M40 cancelled

Michael Crawshaw with his latest work 'The Gerasimov Doctrine' (Image by Nub News)
Local News

'I thought the premise was a bit silly': Michael Crawshaw on writing, Russia and outsiders in his new book, The Gerasimov Doctrine

Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide seaton with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.