A piermaster at Kirkwall Harbour in Orkney has described the dramatic moment he and a local skipper pulled a man from the icy North Sea, saving his life in the middle of a dark, stormy and freezing night.
Ross Donaldson, who works for Orkney Islands Council’s Marine Services, was at his computer beside the harbour at 11.30pm on November 6 – a “coarse night of gales and rain”, he said.
Working on his own while his colleague inspected a North Isles boat, he saw a shadow go past the window.
Mr Donaldson said: “There’s not normally folk about at that time of night and it was a really poor night, so I jumped in the van and went a look down the pier.
“I saw what I thought was a shadow in the distance but the next I knew there was no sign of anything.”
However, moments later, a skipper who had been tending his boat in the dreadful weather conditions called him over: he had seen a man falling backwards into the rough sea, through a gap between the pier and a large vessel.
Battle to save a life
Mr Donaldson and the skipper, who has not been named, sprang into action, despite the rushing wind and piercing rain.
The pair lowered a single length of aluminium ladder down the pier wall, and tried to get the man to grab it.
Mr Donaldson continued: “We didn’t know at that time if he had hurt himself badly in the fall, but he was conscious, although seemed shocked and not quite compos mentis.
“It was a high tide so I lay down on the pier and reached down to get him to hold my hand and we coaxed him into holding onto a rung of the ladder.
“We reassured him and talked him through a rung at a time.”
The man did not have the strength to pull himself up all the way, but managed to put his foot on one of the pier side tyres and heave his body up far enough for the piermaster to pull him – and the weight of his sodden clothes – over the side to safety.
Mr Donaldson said: “He was very thankful and at pains to point out that he was okay.
“We wanted to get him out of his wet clothes as quickly as possible as he was very cold, so we accompanied him to his boat and made sure he was warmed up and informed his skipper and crewmates of what had happened.
“The skipper kept us up to date with how he was and he did have a large scrape to his back and shoulder so that must’ve taken the brunt of the fall – and thankfully not his head or it may have been a very different outcome.
“He was a very lucky guy.”
Mr Donaldson was on shift the following night, and the man he rescued stopped by to express his gratitude.
Despite a 30-year career in shipping, this was the first rescue of this type the piermaster has had to carry out, and he said it shows “just shows how easy it is to get caught out”.
‘Shining examples of seafarers’
The story, which was shared in a social media post from the local authority, has led to praise for the two men from across the island.
Councillor Andrew Drever said while this story has a happy ending, there have been a number of more tragic incidents in the past.
He said: “The sea can be a dangerous entity and must be respected at all times.
“Our heartfelt thanks are extended to all those who went to the aid of this man. The piermaster and skipper are to be applauded for their swift action that undoubtedly saved this man’s life.
“They demonstrated a calm and efficient response, born out of a standard of training and discipline which all our seagoing staff work to. I am very proud of them.”
Jim Buck, the council’s Head of Marine Services, Transportation and Harbour Master, echoed the praise.
He said: “All too often we hear of the tragic consequences of people falling into the sea in harbour areas – it is less common to hear of a successful outcome such as this, particularly when late at night, dark and in poor conditions.
“I am delighted with the response by one of our piermasters and the nearby skipper – a shining example of seafarers working together for the benefit of all.”