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A British man who survived by eating seaweed and drinking rainwater after capsized in the English Channel tried to kayak to Spain, the fisherman who rescued him said.
Daniel Lewis, from Blackpool, clung to a buoy after his inflatable kayak capsized in the middle of the Channel before being spotted by Dutch fishermen on Thursday.
The 28-year-old nearly drowned and is said to have told rescuers he survived by eating raw mussels, crabs and seaweed during his maritime ordeal.
Dutch fisherman Tunis Van Luut said the kayaker told him he had tried to paddle to Spain and also claimed he had been at sea since October 15 and had been on the buoy for four years.
But the French coast guard rejected the idea that he could have been at sea for as long as 12 days, saying it would be impossible to survive.
Daniel Lewis (pictured), 28, told his rescuers he had tried to kayak to Spain before his boat capsized in the English Channel
Dutch fisherman saw the 28-year-old hanging from a buoy and managed to bring him to safety
French Channel authorities said he was found by fishermen halfway between Dover and France
Mr Van Lutt, 41, told the mirror that Mr Lewis could not have stood when they were able to bring him aboard the French fishing vessel De Madelaine.
The skipper said: ‘He needed water and he drank a lot, and I asked him who you are and how it is possible that you are here on this buoy without your clothes, just your swimming trunks – there was nothing else.
‘We asked him, ‘what time did you leave’ and he said it was October 15th from Dover in a kayak. We asked when he had been in the accident but his condition was so bad and I could see that his eyes were very deep in his head and he had many blue veins on his head and arms.
“He told me he wanted to go to Spain, but I said it’s stupid because of the distance – it’s too far. He told us that, he left Dover on October 15th and his plan was that he would go to Spain.’
Mr Van Lutt said the kayaker was only 79F (26C) and the crew immediately called the Coast Guard, who arrived just eight minutes later.
On Friday, Lewis’ father Richard told MailOnline that he was “both relieved and concerned” to see pictures of his son, who was upset after a recent breakup, who was rescued from the sea.
He was rescued by a group of fishermen from the Netherlands in the Channel before being flown by the French Coast Guard to a French hospital
After being brought aboard, the exhausted British kayaker (pictured) was offered some water and a Snickers chocolate bar
He said: ‘From the moment I saw the pictures of the boy being rescued from the sea, I knew it was my Daniel.
“I’m so glad he’s safe and sound and being cared for in the hospital. But I was really afraid that he was almost lost at sea. I had no idea he was planning such a thing. [Daniel] has had many problems and has been moving a lot. He has lived between Liverpool, Wrexham and Birmingham.
“I try to keep an eye on him and try to speak to him on the phone as often as possible. But the other day he was just gone. Later I heard that he had broken up with his girlfriend.
“I had no idea he had descended south or intended to paddle across the Channel.
“Daniel has never kayaked. He doesn’t even have a canoe.’
Coastguards in France, where he was taken for emergency treatment, said he did not appear to have received appropriate training in kayak use and appeared to have no support or support for attempting such a dangerous crossing.
French authorities said he was found by fishermen holding on to the ‘Colbart Nord’ buoy (pictured)
Orlane Saliou, spokeswoman for the Maritime Gendarmerie, the French equivalent of the Coast Guard, said he didn’t appear to be experienced.
She added that his good physical condition and the timely rescue “saved his life.” But she dismissed some media reports that he could have been lost at sea for as long as 12 days – because it would have been impossible to survive.
Madame Saliou told MailOnline: ‘His motives regarding this crossing are not very clear, but it seems that a sporting project should be thrown out.
‘The Maritime Gendarmerie is currently conducting research into this subject.
‘The person suffered from hypothermia, general fatigue and dehydration, but given his good physical resistance his general health is quite good.
“The victim was taken care of by the French health services as soon as they arrived on the territory.
‘The responsiveness of the CROSS Griz-nez [maritime emergency station] and the rapid deployment of the French naval helicopter Dauphin probably saved his life.’
She added that the Briton had attempted to cross “the busiest waterway in the world,” through which 400 commercial ships pass daily and endure “force seven storms” 120 days a year.