The four British rowers who spent six hours in a life raft in gale force winds 200 miles off the Kerry coast told of their ordeal on arriving back at Foynes port in Limerick yesterday.
The four arrived in Ireland 24 hours after their rescue by a Danish-registered ship that was on its way to Foynes with a cargo of bananas. The rowers, who escaped serious injury during the storm, were relieved men as they told their story over an Irish breakfast at Shannon airport's restaurant.
Skipper Mark Stubbs told reporters: "We're lucky to be alive, we are so glad that we are safe. The storm and the wave that split the boat was a freak of nature and was something no one can foresee. Six years of planning and preparation went into the bid.
". . . I wouldn't have been out there . . . if I knew it was possible to have those kind of conditions."
The four men left St John's, Newfoundland, on June 30th, destined for Cornwall in an attempt to break the world record for the fastest Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat. In an effort to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, they had been hoping to cut 10 days from the world record of 55 days in their boat, the Pink Lady.
They were 39 days into the 2,100 mile journey and on target to break the record when their boat was caught up in Hurricane Alex and broken in two by a 60 foot wave.
The crew were in constant contact with their weather analyst, Lee Breen, and were aware they would come into contact with Alex sometime on Saturday. As the storm gathered strength, the four called their families.
Mapping specialist John Wills called his wife, Stacey: "I told her that we were fine, that we'll batten down and we'll be OK, I didn't really go into it much."
Crew member and London Times journalist, Jonathan Gornall said: "I heard a wave coming, which sounded exactly like a train heading straight towards us and then there were two quick detonations and with that I was in water and darkness."
Wills said: "It was like waking up to this enormous explosion, we were in the water instantly. I was swimming for what seemed like ages. I was 30 seconds to a minute fighting to get up to the surface, I was swimming for my life really.
". . . We were lucky that there seemed to be a lull for a couple of minutes after we got to the surface or maybe there wasn't, we were just so focused on making sure each other was alright."
Stubbs and former SAS diver Pete Bray had to wait for their compartment to fill with water before diving into the ocean and swimming to the surface.
Stubbs said: "Pete was brilliant and was able to use his navy diving experience and go under and retrieve the life raft and grab bag, which contained a satellite phone."
The rowers managed to make contact with coast guards via satellite phones within 15 minutes. The first signal picked up from the boat's radio was at around 2.30 a.m. on Sunday.
So bad were the conditions that an RAF rescue helicopter had to turn back after setting out from north Devon. For the next six hours, the rowers clung together in their life raft. Only Wills suffered a slight injury when he banged his head as the wave struck the boat. Bray told his colleagues jokes to keep them awake while they were waiting to be picked up by the Scandinavian Reefer.
"When you are in a hypothermic state you want to go to sleep and that's the worst thing you can do because once you go to sleep you don't wake up. So the deal is to keep everyone awake and the way we do that is talk, laugh and tell jokes just to keep everybody happy," Bray said.
Wills said the conditions with a wind chill factor of minus 10 and no moonlight "were like being on a rowing machine strapped to a bucking broncho in a pitched black room with someone hosing you down".
By the time they were picked up by the Scandinavian Reefer, all four had not stood up in 39 days. Stubbs said: "Standing up was a weird feeling. John fell over as we went to see the skipper who did an amazing job."
Stubbs said it was a shame they had come so close to the record. "Certainly, I'd like to be here as part of a successful crossing but I'm glad to be alive. It's a real shame because everything was going according to plan. We were just 300 miles from the finish."
When asked would he be making another attempt, Stubbs said: "From love comes courage - from my wife and my family. Now, I just want time to be with them, to give them cuddles and kisses and just reflect. I don't want to put them through any more pain."
Of the four, only Bray showed enthusiasm for repeating the bid. It is the second time that Wills has failed in an Atlantic crossing. Smiling yesterday, he said: "I'm looking forward to getting back to see my wife and start making babies."