We sailed from Fleetwood in the trawler Navena heading for the home water fishing grounds at Flugga. We had been fishing for a few days and, at the time, most of us were rolled in our bunks while we were towing. Then the engine stopped and everything went quiet. We knew that we had come fast on a rocky outcrop or even a wreck, so everybody got rigged and went out on the deck. It was blowing a gale of wind so we had oilskin knickers, oily frocks and sou'westers on.

We started the winch and began hauling and the doors came up. The gear had parted at the after door so we had to get the trawl aboard working our way from forrard to aft. After a lot of hard work all the bobbins were aboard, but the after wing was straight up and down so we started by wrapping a chain around the net, hooking the after jilson in the chain, heaving it up then wrapping another chain around the net and fastening it to the rail. Then another chain was wrapped around the net over the side and the jilson was hooked into that, we then heaved on it till the chain on the rail was slack, this procedure went on time after time.

I was the brassy at the time, about 16 years old and a nosy little bugger. I was stood on the loose net looking over the side wondering what was hanging up the trawl. The ship was rising and falling on the big waves and, as I looked, up I saw the big jilson hook straightening out as if it was made of rubber. The net shot back into the sea, the next thing I remember is being under water surrounded by thousands of tiny bubbles. The net had been pulled back over the side so fast it had shot me over the side like a bullet. I don't remember flying through the air or hitting the water.

So there I was with all this wet weather gear on trying to get back to the surface. Next thing I took a gulp of fresh air and I was treading water in what must have been seconds, but seemed like ages. I couldn't see anything as my sou'ester was down over my eyes so, unknown to me, I was swimming away from the ship.

The lads onboard were shouting to me but I coudn't hear them because of the wind and waves. In the end I pushed the souwester up above my eyes but I couldn't see the ship. I turned round full circle. Still no Navena, just a great big wave. As I started to rise up on the wave I could see her masts and then the bridge and then the whole ship, and all the lads waving and shouting to me. As you can imagine I didn't need telling which way to swim then. As I swam to her the wind was blowing her to me, so in no time at all I was next to the after door, the back strap was hanging down in the water so I grabbed hold, I was safe.

Now my problem was how to get back on board the ship. She was rising and falling about twenty feet on every wave. One minute I was about ten feet up in the air the next ten feet under water. The bosun climbed onto the door and tried to reach around to grab hold of me but as the ship rolled the door swung on its chain and he was trapped between the door and the side of the ship. He was pulled back aboard with quite a few bruises for his trouble,then as I came up out of the water one deckie held out a gaff and shouted for me to grab hold, well, as far as I was concerned I was pretty safe hanging onto the backstrap. I thought "if I try to grab the gaff and miss, the sharp hook on the end will foul me." I would be like a fish on a pole, so I would not let go.

Then, I think it was Jimmy Armatage who shouted to me, "When she rolls towards you, let go and swim to the rail and we will grab you," well, by this time, all I wanted to do was get back on board. So, on the next roll, I let go and swam to the rail. The water was level with the top of the rail when Jimmy and another deckie grabbed my arms. As they did the ship rolled and I was dangling in the air. My boots were full of water so with all that extra weight the lads weren't able to pull me inboard till she rolled again, then when the water came level with the rail again they pulled me aboard.

I was half carried half dragged to the galley where the oil fired stove was put on full and I stripped off all my wet gear and put on some warm dry clothes. By this time the skipper had come down off the bridge. He asked how I was, I'm sure I must have said I was ok, with that he gave me a brand new white sea jersey and told me to turn in so, off to my bunk I went.

The next thing I knew was when one of the deckies was shaking me and saying "Come on you lazy little XXXXXX it's hauling time, you've been asleep for twenty four hours and haven't even woken up for a pee." With that I got rigged in my oilies and went on the deck, with all the deckies shouting insults at me for sleeping so long. Of course, they were only joking, they were as glad as I was that I hadn't drowned. The long sleep had done me good. I could remember everything that had happened but I had no fear of going over the side again.

So, I carried on going to sea till I got married at the age of twenty four. I cannot remember any of the crews names except Jimmy Armatage. If it was you Jimmy please get in touch, and if there is anyone else out there who was on the Navena that trip I would love to hear from you. My e mail address is with the Bosun's Watch

Denis Thomas. May 2003