AFTER TWO days lost at sea Mearns fishermen Jim Reid and David Irvine tucked in to a hearty meal of bacon, eggs and chips in the company of their loving family and friends.
Tears were shed and loving embraces were shared after Jim, 75, and his grandson David, 35, were safely returned to shore on Thursday afternoon after spending two horrific days and nights lost in their creel boat in the North Sea.
The delighted men said the desperate and relentless searching of the area’s fishing community and the emergency services was “unreal” and thanked all those involved.
Black Watch veteran Jim said: “When we came off the lifeboat I didn’t think I was going to make it up the stairs.
“When you’ve been in the sea that long in a little boat it’s physically exhausting, especially at my age.
“The weather was bad at times and we’re lucky to be home. I just can’t thank the community enough.”
The men sailed out early on Tuesday from Gourdon Harbour but were reported missing at midday after their 16ft boat Water Rail failed to return to shore.
A massive air and sea search and rescue mission was launched to find the men but their faulty compass had taken them 46 miles off course and out to sea.
They were saved 50 miles off the Angus coast on Thursday morning and were reunited with their families after being brought ashore by the RNLI Montrose Lifeboat crew.
The pair spent the evening regrouping with loved ones who had feared the worst but never lost hope that they would make it home.
David, a supervisor at the Inverbervie Scotmid, said: “I saw my daughter Sarah for about half an hour and it then took me about two-and-a-half hours to walk 500 yards up the road for all the people stopping to say hello and hug me.
“Sarah was told on the Tuesday night that we were missing because everyone was speaking about it but she hadn’t been told the search was called off on the Thursday.
“They say she was devastated but when I saw her she just wanted a hug and her chocolate bunny.
“The whole family and everybody that had been out looking for us came down to the Gourdon Harbour Bar and we had a few beers together. It was unreal.”
The prospect of never seeing their families again was something that flooded both Jim and David’s minds while they braved the cold sea over the two nights.
However, they kept each other going by thinking about the family and hoping that they were OK.
“You miss everybody,” said David. “You’ve got enough time to think about it because there’s nothing else to do.”
Jim said: “The gravity of the situation sunk in the first 10 hours we were out there and we knew there was something wrong.
“I’m just pleased to be home. When you’re out there and something goes wrong and you can’t see a thing, and I mean like a thick blur as if someone put you in with a blindfold, I had to stay composed. I couldn’t lose my head because I had David to look after. I’ve had my life.
“We were more worried about the people at home though. You can’t put that into perspective.”
The men, who spent much of Friday with the Marine Accident Investigation Board, said they intend to relax over the next few days but plan to get back to normal as soon as possible.