Skipper who wrecked his boat to save his young son
ASKIPPER has recounted the terrifying moment he realised his boat was sinking more than a mile out to sea with his 10-year-old son on board.
Martin James, who had owned the 37ft angling vessel Warlord for 15 years, says he made the decision to run the sinking boat aground at the nearest beach, knowing that it would wreck it, because his son, Kayden, has a lung condition and would have struggled to swim ashore.
Porthcurno Beach was closed when the vessel broke up on the sand.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “Sennen Cove RNLI lifeboat and Land’s End Coastguard Rescue Team were sent after reports that a 37ft angling vessel was sinking about one nautical mile off Gwennap Head.
“The vessel was intentionally grounded at Porthcurno Beach.
“All those on board – three – were safe. Our duty counter pollution officer was informed and the vessel owners are now arranging the salvage.”
With powerful waves hitting the beach, the Warlord was smashed into pieces and the National Trust closed Porthcurno beach so that the wreckage could be cleared in the following days.
The alarming turn of events began on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, when Martin, from Penzance, along with a friend and Martin’s son, Kayden, set off to fish at a spot around two to three miles off Porthcurno.
“We started fishing there on some marks that I had,” he said, “started picking a bit of fish up. I realised that the boat was not moving like she should be, rolling in the sea – moderate sea, not rough.
“I looked over the side and the boat was 15 inches down in the water more than it should be. So I radioed Falmouth coastguard, told them my position, said that I was in danger of the boat sinking.”
Martin believes that the wooden boat either hit some debris out at sea, or that the deck wash pump broke and started filling the boat up with water below deck.
He estimated that he had 40 minutes to an hour before the Warlord sank, and knew that he was about 30 minutes from Porthcurno beach, so decided the safest option with his son on board was to run the £15,000 boat aground.
“If I had been on my own or with a friend who was a good swimmer like myself, I would have probably attempted to get it a bit closer into shore and then attempted to assess what the problem was. But with my son being on board, I couldn’t take that chance.
“It was the decision of the boat that I’ve loved for 15 years, or take the chance on losing my son. So there was no decision to make, the boat had to go.”
Exactly five years ago to the day that the Warlord started sinking, Martin says that Kayden was rushed into Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske with empyema, pneumonia, sepsis and chicken pox. His condition quickly worsened and he was moved to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
“He was in a bad way. He was in Bristol for six weeks fighting for his life. They couldn’t understand what was wrong with him. So we nearly lost him when he was five, and there was no way I was going to chance losing him again.”
Martin says that as the boat started taking on water, he tried to keep his son calm, adding: “I don’t think he realised the danger that we were in because I kept reassuring him.”
After help from the National Trust, Martin spent the following two days clearing the beach of the wreckage of the Warlord.