A photographer is lucky to be alive after suffering a boat engine failure while out at sea and washed up 60 miles away in a different country.
54-year-old Chris Ellery set off from the coast of Pembrokeshire, West Wales, in the U.K. on Wednesday, October 30, to take wildlife and sunset photos. However, after his engine failed, he drifted all the way to Ireland.
After he failed to return to Fishguard harbor, the coastguard sent out rescue teams including three aircraft and five boats. The Times of London reports that some of his belongings were found in a cove that is only accessible by boat.
Ellery still had an AirTag tracking device on him but the search operation failed to find him as he floated over the Irish Sea. He landed on Kilmichael Point, a remote part of Ireland, before handing himself into a local police station with the help of a friendly local named Shay.
“While walking to a local Garda police station, a kind soul called Shay pulled up in his car and asked if I would like a lift, telling me the nearest station was 26 kilometers [16 miles] away but was happy to take me to the station in Baltinglass,” Ellery says.
“Shay then told me he is currently not working, made his stopping more special, someone with little money would give his last penny to help a stranger.”
After reaching Baltinglass Garda station in County Wicklow, officers instantly offered support and rang his family back in the U.K. Ellery describes hearing his wife’s and daughter’s voices as “very emotional.”
Ellery was later taken to a local B&B and pub where he was introduced to locals and regaled them with his story of survival.
The Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris, welcomed Ellery to Wicklow. “I’m sure your family and the Welsh emergency services are unbelievably relieved,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
Ellery’s family flew to Ireland with his passport so he could return home.
“Just to let everyone know I’m safe and sound back in the U.K.,” Ellery writes on Facebook. “I would like to express a massive thank you to everyone for your kind messages and support that kept my family and friends going during these last few difficult days.”
Ellery plans to share details of the “difficult journey” he experienced across the Irish Sea, but for the time being he wants to thank the people of Baltinglass for the warm welcome to Ireland.
Wildlife photography is no picnic. Last week, PetaPixel reported on a photographer in Australia who was missing for over a week after she suffered a snake bite while documenting wild horses.
Image credits: Kenzie Ellery
