A rower who was rescued from huge seas in a bid to cross the Atlantic says he will not be attempting the feat again and does not want to be seen as “some reckless thrill seeker.”
Niall Iain Macdonald, 44, has said he is “happy to be alive” after his 24ft boat was swamped by waves more than 700 miles off New York last week.
He was a quarter of the way through his epic challenge – and it was the third time that he has been in trouble in the Atlantic. His first bid in 2014 ended after nine days with a US Coastguard rescue. On this attempt the coastguards came to his aid to repair a broken rudder a few days before his rescue.
The Gaelic broadcaster, who lives in Lewis but was born in Inverness, was battered by severe weather during the night and forced to make a Mayday call before abandoning ship.
Responding to the emergency distress incident, Dutch cargo ship MV Dolfijngracht altered course to rescue him. It is now heading to Canada, but Mr Macdonald will not be allowed to disembark until June 28 at the port of Gros Cacouna in Quebec.
Yesterday, he wrote in a blog: “Now my row is over and my boat is abandoned at sea. She will continue her own journey which will end somewhere, sometime. It’s a horrible feeling to have to leave your boat behind, it’s hard to explain, and I know that my safety is the main thing.
“It’s not the loss of the material value of the boat that hurts so much, but what I felt she represented in a wider sense. Please don’t misunderstand my sadness as self pity, I’m sad for everyone who helped in any way.
“I cannot express how much I wanted to make it across to the other side. I tried my very best, and the sense of disappointment is overwhelming. Of course, I’m still very emotional about it all and perhaps such statements will sound melodramatic but I can only express how I feel at this time.
“I had decided that this would be my last attempt, though I kept this to myself in case anyone thought that it was going to influence any decision to start (e.g. risk starting without a suitable weather window).
“I have no wish to be regarded as some reckless thrill seeker who just heads off across the ocean with no preparation or regard for the possible consequences. I’m also concerned that such opinion might reflect badly on those who were kind enough to sponsor me, those who assisted my preparations and my chosen charity, Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).”
