A Briton rescued from the English Channel after surviving a day hanging on to a buoy had tried to kayak in Spain, his rescuers say.
Daniel Lewis, 28, was found by Dutch fishermen wearing only swimming shorts.
He was suffering from severe hyperthermia and dehydration when he was brought aboard the cutter vessel De Madelaine from Urk, the Netherlands.
The young man told one of the fishermen that he left Dover by kayak on October 15 and planned to go to Spain.
Tunis Van Luut, 41, captain of the fishing vessel said The mirror: “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 hugged us, when he was going up to edge, I could see his terms were over, he had nothing left to give.
The skipper added that Mr Lewis had been at sea for 12 days but on the buoy for four or five of them, managing to drink rainwater periodically.
Richard Lewis, his father, saw pictures of his son on the news. The 28-year-old’s father was worried about his son’s fate, having not heard from him in weeks.
The man had just broken up with his girlfriend, his father reportedly said
(EMKvissers)
He said the last thing he heard about him was that he broke up with his girlfriend.
The Blackpool local said Mail online: “I had no idea he was planning something like this. [Daniel] had a lot of problems and he moved around a lot. He lived between Liverpool, Wrexham and Birmingham.
The concerned father added that his son had never kayaked before.
The man brought on board
(EMKvissers)
French authorities told NOS the man spent around 48 hours hanging from the buoy for life.
He was then airlifted by the French coast guard to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he was able to speak but in “poor condition”, according to reports.
