THE FISHERMAN

Sam Cully was fishing off the coast of County Down on 18 September when his boat started sinking.

The conditions were rough – there were powerful swells and winds blowing up to force 6. ‘It happened in minutes,’ Sam recalls. ‘I noticed water at my feet and turned on the bilge pumps. At first I thought it was just surface water, but it started rising rapidly, and the boat started rolling over. I didn’t have time to think – it was just a matter of giving my position to the Coastguard and abandoning ship.’ Sam plunged into the water, and found himself at the mercy of the wind and waves.

THE LIFEJACKET

Sam hadn’t worn a lifejacket for his entire 20-year fishing career until September 2013, when he was given a personal flotation device (PFD). ‘It saved my life,’ says Sam, who managed to keep his head above water thanks to the PFD. ‘I was so relieved to find the lifejacket doing exactly what I was told it would do.’

The PFD was funded thanks to a grant-aided scheme run by the Fishermen’s Mission with funding and support from Seafish, the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation, the MCA, Asda and the RNLI. Frankie Horne, RNLI Fishing Safety Manager for the UK and Republic of Ireland, showed Sam how to use the device. ‘This will be an ongoing process for us, talking to fishermen and working with the manufacturers to ensure that the PFDs provided are the best possible design for the fishing industry,’ says Frankie. ‘It’s great that Sam is safe. We want all fishermen to see the benefits of wearing a PFD or lifejacket and for them to wear it voluntarily.’

THE LIFEBOAT CREW

Portaferry lifeboat Crew Members (pictured from top) Luke Murphy, Paul Mageean and Helmsman Marko Petric rushed to the station along with Sinead Breen (not pictured) at 12.30pm. Within 10 minutes, they were at sea aboard their Atlantic 85 lifeboat and heading to the scene. When they arrived just after 1pm, the fishing boat had sunk and the crew started searching for Sam along with an Irish Coast Guard helicopter and Donaghadee lifeboat.

By now, Sam was beginning to give up hope – but his PFD had kept him afloat long enough to be rescued. ‘I was only able to swim 5 or 10m or so, and even then the wind and swell were washing me away from the shore. I felt very peaceful and tired, and thought that it was the end. I thought: “I can’t do it anymore”.’

The Portaferry volunteers spotted Sam at 1.15pm, and Marko jumped into the sea to help him. ‘Then I felt two hands around me, and the next thing I knew, I was in the lifeboat,’ says Sam, who was winched into the helicopter from the lifeboat. The helicopter crew flew him to hospital, where he recovered from his shocking, cold ordeal.

‘I am still alive, getting married, planning a family – so much to look forward to in life,’ says Sam. ‘I cannot thank all those organisations involved enough.’