Saltire raised on Rockall by crew who had to swim ashore

Heavy swell prevented boat landing

Published:

THREE men from the Western Isles were among six adventurers who managed to get on to Rockall and raise the Scottish flag, it was revealed yesterday.

Despite glorious sunshine, sea conditions were difficult and they had to swim to the rock from a dinghy because of the swell and turbulence — but only had one wetsuit among them.

The six landed on Rockall individually and then swam back to give the suit to the next man.

However, Andy Strangeway, the Yorkshire-based expedition leader who is already in the record books for sleeping on 162 Scottish islands, was unable to land because he was not a strong enough swimmer.

They were in the expedition of 11 men on the 67ft steel-built former BT Challenge yacht Elinca which left for Rockall, the mid-Atlantic rock outcrop which lies 230 miles west of the Hebrides, last week.

Skipper Angus Smith explained that faced with a 15ft swell, there was no alternative but to approach the rocky crag in a dinghy.

First to swim to it was Mark Lumsden, 38, a surfing holiday operator and film producer who is based on Lewis. He was swept on by a wave.

When the skipper’s son Innes Smith, 23, went on he got to the top and not only unfurled a Scottish saltire but also a flag made of Harris Tweed.

Fellow Lewisman and former coastguard Ian Stephen, 52, a poet and sailor from Stornoway, also made it to the top and pitched the Saltire where it was seen and photographed by a Nimrod reconnaissance plane from RAF Kinloss which was training in the area.

The landings took place on Wednesday but problems with satellite communications meant that it was not known who had made it onto the rock until the yacht arrived back at Leverburgh on Harris yesterday.

title

Charles Veley, 42, who flew in from San Francisco and holds the title of the world’s most travelled man was one of three who got on to Rockall but not to the top.

It was second time lucky for Mr Veley who also tried to land there in 2005 with TV personality Ben Fogle.

The others who managed to make it on were Martyn Simpson, 28, an oil industry worker from Peterhead and David Langan, a Dublin-based furniture store boss.

Radio amateur and doctor Mike McGirr, 60, flew in from Chicago and had his hopes of broadcasting from the rock dashed by the swell.