A teacher and army veteran who was attempting to set a world record for the number of days living on a barren rock in the north Atlantic was rescued by coastguards on Wednesday.
Chris “Cam” Cameron, 53, aspired to live alone on Rockall for up to 60 days and at least surpass the record of 45 days set in 2014 by Nick Hancock, a chartered surveyor and adventurer.
He landed on the islet on 30 May but had to call for aid on Wednesday after 30 days because of “declining weather conditions”.
Above the water level, the isolated islet, roughly 230 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, is only 100ft (30 metres) wide and 70ft (21 metres) long.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it sent a search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway after receiving the distress call at 8.55am on Wednesday and a fixed-wing aircraft was also sent to support the rescue.
A lot of the teacher’s equipment had been destroyed overnight by the wind and waves and on several occasions he was almost swept away.
Cameron, from Cherhill near Calne in Wiltshire, embarked on the mission to raise money for ABF, the Soldiers’ Charity and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
He was living on an area called Hall’s Ledge, measuring roughly 1.5 by 4 metres (5ft by 13ft), just below the peak of the 17-metre-high granite outcrop, with only seabirds and a couple of minke whales for company.
In a post on Twitter, his supporters announced that his challenge was over. It stated: “Due to declining weather conditions and sea state at Rockall over the last 24 hrs, Cam has this afternoon declared a mayday.
“An operation to evacuate him from Rockall is currently being coordinated by HM Coastguard. Please do not speculate at this time.”
They later tweeted that he was safe.
*** 18:00 UTC - 28/06/2023 ***
— Rockall Expedition (@Rockall2023) June 28, 2023
Cam has now been recovered from Rockall, and is safe and in good hands. We will post further updates in the coming days.
We will not be conducting interviews at this time.
He has been taken to Western Isles hospital as a precaution after prolonged exposure.
Cam’s family said: “We are hugely proud of all his achievements but also that he had the courage to make what must have been a very difficult decision in the face of such dreadful weather.
“We are looking forward to welcoming him home and hope that any future adventures will be a little less risky. Why couldn’t he just have bought a sports car in the first place?”
On 4 June, a Scottish marine protection vessel, the Hirta, visited Cameron unexpectedly, with a comfort box of supplies. Six crew members used their rigid inflatable boat to ferry the parcel up to the sheer-sided rock.
Cameron landed on Rockall on 30 May with Adrian “Nobby” Styles, a radio operator, and Emil Bergmann, a mountaineer and radio enthusiast, after a 420-mile voyage by yacht from Inverkip on the Firth of Clyde.
They left after several days after finishing their stints operating radios there. The previous radio transmissions from Rockall were sent by a Belgian team of enthusiasts in 2011.
Donations can still be made at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rockallexped
