A man who fell off his boat on the Norfolk Broads was left stuck in the water and mud for about 40 minutes before rescuers were able to reach him.
Rocky Start was on his own in his 14ft motor boat travelling between Horning and Salhouse - a remote stretch of the River Bure - when the incident happened.
He said he was standing on the stern when he slipped on the wet surface and fell in.
Mr Start, the co-founder of a music events company, was unable to lift himself back into the vessel but managed to reach in to grab his mobile phone, to raise the alarm.
"I clung to the back of the boat deep in the mud, trying to climb back but failing every time," he said.
"My phone was on the back seat and I managed to reach over and grab it.
"I then put a call to 999. The coastguard stayed [on the line] with me the entire time helping reassure me... The call handler was amazing."
The father-of-two said that by the time the emergency services reached him he "wasn't far off not being able to hold on anymore".
Mr Start says he was able to get to the side of the river and pulled himself up into the muddy reedbed on the bank, where he said he became "nearly hypothermic".
READ MORE: 12 stranded on Breydon Water after boat gets stuck in mud
He fell in at around 7.30pm on Thursday. It took the emergency services around 40 minutes to reach the remote spot.
Fire crews, police, the Hemsby lifeboat and local coastguards were all sent to help the man who lives in Hoveton.
He added: "To be honest I was very very lucky. The emergency services were amazing I want to thank them all."
After being taken back to the Swan pub, in Horning, he was wrapped up and taken to the N&N for further checks, but he says he was lucky to have escaped with only a few bruises and nettle stings.
The rescue is the second boat drama on the Broads this week.
On Tuesday, four holidaymakers ended up in the water after their 24ft sailing cruiser capsized and sank after being struck by a 'roger' - a very strong, sudden blast of wind.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel