Drowned sailor commended for bravery by coroner

by EDP24/Sail-World Cruising on 27 Dec 2010 A long range sailor, 64, who insisted his fellow sailor, 43, go first when they were being rescued in the Atlantic Ocean, has been commended by a British coroner for his selfless act of bravery that enabled the younger man to survive.

Former airline pilot Jonathan Farrar lost his life during a rescue attempt (see http://www.sail-world.com/Cruising/international/Sailor-perishes-in-late-sail-to-the-Canaries/77565!Sail-World_Cruising_story) in stormy weather off the North African coast when on their way to the Canary Islands.

He was travelling with his nephew, Timothy Hall, 43, on a sailing trip from Portugal to Lanzarote when they got into trouble in stormy north Atlantic waters.

http://www.edp24.co.uk!EDP24 reported that a Norwich inquest heard that Mr Farrar, who was known as Fred, 'insisted' that his nephew go first when a rescue ship threw a life ring down into the water.

While Mr Hall was saved, Mr Farrar drowned on November 29.

A statement by Mr Hall, who is believed to live in Wales and could not attend the inquest, was read out to the court.

In the statement Mr Hall said that he and his uncle – a retired airline pilot – had left Penich, in Portugal, on Mr Farrar’s yacht, Snooker, on November 23.

Five days later the storms and the sea became very rough and the motor stopped because water had flooded the engine room, he said.

Mr Farrar put out a Mayday and moments later a Norwegian ship, the Tordis Knutsen, responded and said they could with them in about an hour’s time.

Mr Hall said in his statement: 'We were sitting on the back of the Snooker in six-metre waves with our safety harnesses on as the crew on the Tordis threw down life lines from the side of the ship.

'I managed to grab a life ring on the end of a rope that had landed on the deck of Snooker and climbed in to it. I offered it to my uncle but he insisted that I go first.

'He then told me to inflate my life jacket and jump into the sea with the crew of the Tordis pulling me.'

Mr Hall then climbed a wooden ladder that the crew had put down the side of the ship and was rescued, but it was too late for Mr Farrar who drowned in the water and was pronounced dead on the ship.