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ARCHIVED - Fishermen find Brit kayaker in the middle of the UK Channel trying to paddle to Spain
Ryan Ball from Oldham in the UK claims he was at sea for 12 days after heading to Spain from Dover
A British man rescued by Dutch fisherman in the middle of the English Channel claims he survived 12 days at sea after a foiled attempt to paddle from Dover to Spain.Ryan Ball, 28, was discovered clinging to a buoy wearing only a pair of swimming shorts on Thursday October 27. His rescuer, Dutch fisherman Tunis Van Luut told British press the young man was in a "bad" condition and said he had been at sea since October 15 and clinging to the buoy, totally exposed to the elements, for days.
Incredibly, the kayaker survived by eating seaweed and drinking rainwater after capsizing, according to his rescuers who spotted the exhausted Brit waving his clothes above his head to attract their attention.
Tunis Van Luut, 41, told The Mirror: "He wasn't OK – we tried to speak to him but he was very bad."It was not possible for him to stand so we had two crew members on either side pick him up."
When asked what he was doing at sea, the fishermen said the out-of-work welder told him: "He wanted to go to Spain, but I said that is stupid because of the distance – it's too far," added Tunis, who, together with his crew had been fishing for red gurnard, millets, and squid for three days when they came across the kayaker.
The skipper said Ball's condition "was so bad, 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".
"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... I could see his condition was finished, he had nothing left to give."
Ball's temperature was just 26 degrees, and the fishermen immediately called the coastguard and warned the rescued Brit would need hospital treatment. Ten minutes later, just before midday, he was picked up.According to The Sun newspaper, Ryan, suffering hypothermia and dehydration, praised the crew who rescued him.
He said: "They were fantastic. I drank five bottles of water, three cans of Fanta and one Coke straight down."
Images: EMK vissers Facebook
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