HE REACHED DOWN FROM ON HIGH AND TOOK HOLD OF ME; HE DREW ME OUT OF DEEP WATERS

Dear Friends and family and all Rescue Services,

It is 4 years ago today on the 11th 11th at 11 o'clock at night that I reached land in Co. Clare from Ballybunion after a day of windsurfing turned into a rescue operation as the wind that I needed to power the sail dropped and I had to detach the sail and find a way amongst waves, rain to lie on my board seasick and praying for the darkness to go so I could see the way home.  

You all are very aware of the story as many of you were there - 4 years later we are so so gratefully that I am alive but traumas are definitely remain, it is not an ordinary life experience to go through and it does leave you with a journey to try and process it all. Me and Mandi try to do something every year with gratitude  to mark the day - but the theme for this year is honesty - to share a little of our struggles since it happened - the enormity of a story like that can get overwhelming for both me and my wife as I m only an ordinary man and I feel for the fright all of you got that night and I would hope you guys have been able to process your shock of that night in some way, as this does bother me at times. 

The other things that happens to survivors of a serious accident is that it is a public eye event and for years later we still get many interest from the media etc - which is  very  difficult for "ordinary" people and yet those involved in a story full of hope and with a positive ending have a responsibility to somehow fulfil this near death experience with doing all you can to make sure your coming back "to life" has been very worth it for you and others.

So in the endeavour to do as much as I can in time we were approached by a writer who we felt would tell the story of that night accurately with facts and not with some of the sensationalised ideas that others would have. So with the work of over the years we met a writer called Lorna Siggins and she has a put together a book called "Search and Rescue" with the main stories being rescues at sea that had a good outcome, mine being one and one other you may now is of the brave girls from Galway who were rescued after being out on their paddle boards.

Lorna Siggins is a former Irish Times journalist and has been reporting from the west coast for over 20 years, focusing on marine affairs. She has reported from the first successful Irish expedition to Mount Everest, from Antarctica, from the African and south American continents, and is author of several books, including a previous history of Irish air-sea rescue. 

The Book was published in May and is available on line and in Eason and all proceeds go to Search and Rescue Services.

So I'll end tonight with another year of gratitude under my belt and as always a thank you for you love and prayer which was the beacon of light that brought me back home and I give the Glory to God -