A Cornish fisherman who suffered a heart attack far out at sea has told how a state-of-the-art floating hospital attached to a Spanish fishing fleet saved his life.
Kevin Bennetts was on board the Newlyn-based boat Ben Loyal while on an expedition hunting for tuna 320 miles off the coast of Land's End.
The 18-metre vessel was just two days into its trip when Mr Bennetts started suffering from severe chest pains and breathing difficulties.
Having recently undertaken a first aid course, he quickly realised that he was suffering from a heart attack.
Skipper Quentin Knights immediately contacted Falmouth Coastguard, but as the boat was fishing more than 100 miles outside of the operating limits of support from helicopters at RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, the future looked bleak for Mr Bennetts.
However, Mr Bennetts reckoned without the high-tech help accompanying the Spanish fishing fleet, which at the time was also searching for lucrative tuna nearby.
Just 17 miles north of the Ben Loyal, master of the Spanish hospital ship, Juan de la Cosa offered assistance and within 40 minutes a Spanish doctor and nurse were aboard the Cornish boat with an ECG monitor and oxygen.
Mr Bennett, who had already taken some aspirin in a bid to improve his chances, was then strapped to a stretcher and transferred on to the Spanish ship.
"I remembered that aspirin was a vital first aid measure in such circumstances so I had already taken the recommended dose," he said.
Despite being in pain, Mr Bennetts was able to recall the transfer by a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) during a fairly hefty swell.
"It was interesting," he said. "One minute the RIB was level with the Ben Loyal's rail then down around her keel. At the exact moment I felt the thud as I was unceremoniously dumped on the deck of the RIB which was already hard astern to clear the Ben Loyal's side."
Once aboard the Spanish ship, he admitted to being "gobsmacked" at the facilities, which included an operating theatre and fully equipped intensive care unit – where he was immediately installed.
The doctor and nurse on board then had a teleconference via satellite link with a cardiac surgeon in Madrid.
It was decided that Mr Bennetts needed to be transferred immediately to a hospital and Juan de la Cosa steamed north to rendezvous with an Irish Coastguard helicopter. He was airlifted to the craft and flown to Shannon Airport before being transferred to a hospital in Limerick.
Mr Bennetts is now at home in West Cornwall recovering from his heart attack.
He said the ordeal had given him a new perspective on the different types of support available to British and Spanish fisherman.
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