British barrister pulled from Atlantic after his 34ft yacht is capsized by giant wave

The Daily Mail. By Paul Thompson.

Richard Hendron was on a solo adventure in the 34ft Spirit of Daedalus when the seas around the Bay of Biscay took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Speaking to Mailonline, Mr Hendron, 38, from London said: “I really thought my time was up and I am very fortunate to have escaped with just a few bruises.”

He had left the Spanish port of A'coruna at dawn and travelled for 20 miles when the seas suddenly changed.

He said: “I don't usually clip myself in the cockpit but for some reason I did when I left the port. The weather was good, but it just changed and suddenly I could see these huge waves.”

The barrister said it was like being inside a washing machine when the boat overturned when sea conditions deteriorated.

“They looked as big as a football stadium, and then one of them just crashed down on the yacht causing it to capsize.

“I have never seen such a huge wall of water. It was terrifying. I really thought I was going to drown. For 30 seconds it felt like being in a washing machine. Finally it rolled back up with me still clipped in.”

In a vivid Facebook post written just after his rescue, Mr Hendron described the situation he faced: “The boat is now a scene of utter carnage, sails ripped, solar panels torn off, Kayak snapped in two halves, water tanks from the saloon have been ripped out and the boat is four feet deep of water inside.”

Read the full story and watch the video of the rescue at mailonline.

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