THE SKIPPER who saved his best friend's son after their boat capsized in 15ft waves has made the finals of a prestigious awards scheme honouring British heroes.
David Miller and teenage crew hand Jordan Coulter made a frantic scramble to survive after being thrown out of their fishing boat in rough seas off Portland Bill, and drifted around eight miles in an emergency life raft in October 2020.
While the two were in the water, David bellowed instructions as they clung onto the capsized boat. Despite suffering head injuries, David spent several minutes locating and untying the life raft at the same time as ensuring Jordan was still afloat.
He has now made it to the final four in the Act of Courage category at the Amplifon Awards For Brave Britons 2021.
David has been invited to a virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, October 5.
The event will be hosted by BBC1 TV Breakfast and Radio 5 Live presenter Rachel Burden while Falklands War hero Simon Weston will be guest of honour.
David and Jordan were out fishing early in the morning last October and had decided to return to shore when conditions took a turn for the worse off Portland Bill.
David said: “We got hit by a big wave and our boat, the Ocean Echo, capsized. I was trapped upside down in the wheelhouse. It was just like in the films like the Titanic when the cabin quickly fills up with water.
“I knew I had to get out but my main thought was for Jordan. This was his first season on the job and he had only been going to sea for about six months.”
David was first hampered by the fact his life jacket had inflated inside the wheelhouse of the boat and had to free himself from that before he could escape.
He said: “When we were going over I shouted to Jordan to hang on to the boat at all costs but I had no idea whether he had survived or had been swept away by the 10 to 15ft waves that were crashing on the side of the vessel.”
Jordan had managed to follow David’s orders and spent a terrifying 60 seconds holding on for dear life before seeing David emerge from under the boat. Despite suffering a head injury, David managed to retrieve the life raft and drag Jordan on to it.
David said: “When I got out, I saw that Jordan had managed to hang onto the outboard, so that was a relief but when I went to get the life raft the tide had taken it away from us, so I had no choice.
"I had to get back into the water. I told Jordan if anything happened to me he just had to hold onto the boat, then I jumped back in.”
Jordan, who only weeks before had undergone water safety training, said: “He kept telling me to ‘hold on' and 'don't let go'. He saved my life and kept me calm. Every time there was a wave coming, he was telling me not to let go of the boat.”
David added: “I was just in survival mode. My main thought was to keep Jordan alive,”
Once in the life raft they drifted for about eight miles before drawing the attention of the Royal Navy’s HMS Westminster by using multiple smoke bombs and flares. The navy ship covered five miles in 15 minutes to reach the pair.
David was flown to Dorset County Hospital by coastguard helicopter while Jordan was medically assessed and taken ashore. Jordan said: “David saved my life. He did not care about himself, he just wanted to make sure I was OK. He is my hero.”
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