A Brit is 'lucky to be alive' after he spent four days stranded in the English Channel when his kayak capsized. Daniel Lewis was rescued by Dutch fisherman on Thursday after they found him clinging to a buoy wearing just a pair of swimming shorts.
The 28-year-old - who had no food, water or protection from the elements - had survived by eating seaweed and drinking rain water. Some reports say he had been in the water for 48 hours, while others say it had been as long as 12 days.
However, his rescuer Tunis Van Luut, says that Daniel told him he had been at sea since October 15 and on the buoy for four days. The kayaker told the 41-year-old that he had been trying to paddle 'to Spain', but was unable to answer any more questions due to his condition, the Mirror reports.
Tunis, skipper of French fishing vessel De Madelaine, said: "We found the kayaker on Thursday at around 11am, he wasn't ok - we tried to speak to him but he was very bad. We were passing the buoy and I was on the watch because I was the skipper of the boat, I could see something and I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought, 'is it really true that I can see a person on it?'
"We got a little close to the buoy and I was calling my crew and I told them that I could see a person on the buoy, I gave him a shout on a loudspeaker to let him know that we can see him, and with his clothes, he made a flag to wave us down."
The fisherman said he had been out at sea with his crew for three days fishing for red gurnard, millets, and squid when they found the man. Local reports say the crew had a bad catch in the morning and had decided to ventured into another area that they wouldn't usually sail to. It was here that they discovered Daniel in the water.
The skipper said that conditions were so bad that the crew couldn't get the boat close enough to the buoy for Brit to jump on board. Instead, they were able to through him a life jacket attached to a line and pull him to safety.
Tunis said: "At that time, we were moving slowly to the buoy and we made a life buoy ready for him and a life jacket and we threw him a line, so he could put a life jacket on, but his condition was so bad it was impossible for him to do that.
"One of my crew members put a life vest by him, one metre from the buoy, and he jumped straight for it. We pulled him on board and picked him up on the deck, it was not possible for him to stand so we had two crew members on either side pick him up.
Once onboard, the crew gave him some clothes as well as plenty of water and a Snickers bar. He had reportedly suffered severe hypothermia had a body temperature of just 26C when he was found.
Tunis said: "He needed water and he was drinking a lot, and I asked him who are you and how is it possible that you are here on this buoy without your clothes, just your swimming shorts - there was nothing else. We took temperatures of him, he was 26 degrees.
"I called the coastguard because he needed assistance, and he had to be taken directly to the hospital. In ten minutes he was picked up."
Tunis tried to find out who the man was and where he came from, but the kayaker was too weak to answer. He continued: "We asked him, 'what time did you depart' and he said it was October 15 from Dover in a kayak.
"We asked when he had the accident, but his condition was so bad and I could see that his eyes were very deep in his head and he had a lot of blue veins on his head and arms. I think it's not possible to give an answer for how long he was there, he was 12 days at sea but how long he was on the buoy we don't know.
"When it was raining he was drinking rainwater, maybe four or five days on the buoy. I don't know exactly. I think four days.
"He is very lucky to be alive, he was full of spirit to be alive - I could see in his eyes, he was so happy to see us, he took us in his arms, when he was coming on board I could see his conditions was finished, he had nothing left to give. I tried to give him some questions but it was not possible for his condition to answer, he tried to answer but he would go silent.
"He told me he wanted to go to Spain, but I said that is stupid because of the distance - it's too far. That's what he told us, he departed on Oct 15 from Dover and his plan was that he was going to Spain. I asked if he had family and he said he didn't have family."
Soon after he was pulled aboard, Tunis realised he required urgent medical attention and called the coastguard. Eight minutes later, a crew flew out to collect him and winched the Brit to safety. A video shows him waving in appreciation to his rescuers as he's whisked away to shore.
Because the rescue happened to quickly, Tunis was unable to get the man's name and as a result, he was unable to find out his condition from the hospital. He continued: "Yesterday one of my crew members called the hospital and asked because we were his crew, but we didn't even know his name so we couldn't find out. He said he was 28."
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