A yachtsman has received national recognition for going to the aid of a man who was knocked unconscious in rough seas

Simon Talbot from St Osyth was skippering a 53ft yacht on a trip from Sweden to Cork when the accident happened.

Simon Talbot

The rest of the crew had taken to their bunks suffering with seasickness while Mr Talbot was being assessed by examiner Jim McNaughton for his yachtmaster practical exam.

"It was pretty horrific weather and we were on a fairly tight time schedule to get to Cork," said the 33-year-old.

"We were about half-an-hour out of Scheveningen and preparing to put in when a big wave hit us and Mr McNaughton lost his footing and went flying.

"He hit a chair and a sharp fixture and was knocked out cold.

"His head was cut open and there was blood everywhere. I can still remember that horrible feeling of fearing he was dead."

Mr Talbot managed to stem the flow of blood and brought his casualty round after a couple of minutes.

He then got one of the crew to talk to him and keep him awake while he got the yacht into port.

Mr McNaughton, 71, from West Mersea, was taken to hospital and made a full recovery following the incident last summer.

Mr Talbot passed the exam and was also nominated for the prestigious Yachtmaster of the Year award.

More than 1,600 people were put forward and he made the final shortlist of ten, being one of nine runners-up.

Mr Talbot received a certificate from the Princess Royal at the London Boat Show.

Published Tuesday, January 14, 2003

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