It’s Saturday 14 June, the day before Father’s Day. A gentle swell is building off Redcar, Cleveland. Two boats, each carrying a father and son, are out on fishing trips. The crew of one vessel will soon owe the other their lives ...

Neil Westmorland and his son Danial cut the engine on their dory and settled 2 miles off Redcar to gut their catch before making for home. Lifejackets came off. Waders on. Fish were cleaned and trophy photos taken. But within seconds of restarting a spluttering engine, the boat sprang forward, catapulting Neil and Danial into the sea.

Their waders were filled with water, dragging them under. Not a strong swimmer, Neil began to drift away, disappearing from view with every surge of the swell. Danial was too far from shore to swim in, and the out-of-control boat was the only means of rescue. But one wrong move would put him in the path of the propellers.

‘The main thing that stuck with me was Dad saying: “I’m sorry Son, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay afloat much longer.” The boat was our only hope,’ he explains. ‘I’d just have to wait for the fuel to run out.’

The wait would have proven fatal, if it wasn’t for an earlier trip back to shore for a forgotten tackle box, which had used up extra fuel. That turn of fate meant the engine cut out before Danial became too exhausted to keep himself afloat. Meanwhile, Neil had drifted a quarter of a mile away. Battling the swell, he’d managed to pull off his waders and was now shouting desperately in a bid to keep in touch with his son.

Incredibly, Danial had kept up with the boat and was able to haul himself aboard after 40 minutes in the water. Despite being cold and disorientated, he made a mayday call over the radio. Cameron Bond, an off-duty RNLI lifeboat crewman, was pulling up his last string of lobster pots when his son Jordan heard the mayday call. Dropping everything, they raced to the scene. ‘As I approached, Neil was starting to go under,’ remembers Cameron. ‘We were the nearest boat by a long way. If it had been another few minutes, it would have been a different story.’

While Jordan inflated a lifejacket to help keep Neil afloat, Cameron pulled the father to the steps at the back of his boat: ‘He was so cold he couldn’t feel his legs, but we managed to get his feet on the first rung of the ladder and then drag him in with a rope. He grabbed my arm so tight, and the relief in his face, I’ll never forget it.’ Cameron knew from his RNLI training that Neil needed to get to shore urgently. They wrapped him up and rushed back to Redcar, where RNLI volunteers and an ambulance crew were on hand to help.

Meanwhile, Helmsman Tony Wild had launched the Atlantic 85 Leicester Challenge III within minutes of arriving at Redcar Lifeboat Station, along with crew Dave Scott and Barry Knaggs. They quickly found a shivering Danial alone in the boat. They wrapped him up and kept him warm, reassuring him that his father was safe.

‘He was confused and shaking violently, could barely speak, but all he wanted to know was how his dad was,’ says Dave. ‘I just find it incredible that he actually got back onboard the boat,’ adds Helmsman Tony. ‘They were very, very lucky.’

'The most frightening of my life' - Neil's story

At first I just felt shock, it was that quick. All I could sense was the rushing of water in my ears. I thought: ‘We’ve had it. Nobody knows we’re here.’

For about 20 minutes I heard nothing from Danial. I had visions of my son going under the boat because it was that long since I’d heard from him. It was a horrible feeling – a quiet, lonely place. When Cameron arrived the relief was unbelievable – he had hold of my arm so tight and just said, ‘It’s alright mate, I’ve got you.’

Now I’ve got a kill cord fitted and the lifejackets go on before we’re even aboard. Father’s Day was quite tough: the flashbacks and thinking about what might have happened. I’m so grateful to everyone who helped that day.

1,142 ANGLERS RESCUED FROM BOATS LAST YEAR

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