Wind surfer Matthew Bryce, who was rescued after drifting for more than 30 hours at sea, had by any standards an extremely fortunate escape from death.
He was eventually located by a coastguard helicopter on Monday night in the North Channel, about half-way between Scotland and Co Antrim, and winched to safety.
Mr Bryce (22), who was yesterday recovering in the Ulster Hospital, deserves considerable credit for wearing the right equipment, remaining calm during the crisis and clinging resolutely to his surfboard .
However, he also knows that he owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the emergency services who successfully carried out a major search for him across a huge area.
