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Subscribe to RSSA 10-year-old British boy is being hailed a hero after he rowed his 8-foot dinghy to the rescue of a couple whose boat had capsized and towed them to safety.
Stuart Crang was fishing when he spotted Richard Brown and his partner, Sue Taffler, in the water last month near Brixham next to their Pico sailing boat, which had filled with water, the BBC reported.
Brown and Taffler, who both wore life jackets, had been in the water for about 45 minutes, the BBC said.
Crang rowed out to them to see if they needed help before towing them for 30 minutes back to safety.
"I was out in my little rowing boat, it's only 8 feet, and there were two people called Richard and Sue and they had capsized and had started to sink," Crang told the BBC. "I just went out to see if they were all right, but they said no, so I put them on a tow and brought them into the harbor."
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Brown and Taffler held on to their towed boat, not wanting to get into Stuart's boat in case that also capsized, the BBC said.
"It took me half an hour to bring them in, it was just me rowing, I was struggling quite a bit, but my dad was coming out and he saw me," he said.
"I was quite far in the harbor and he just said to me, 'Are you all right?' and I said, 'Yeah, I'll be all right in a minute,' and he said, 'Do you want me to take the boat off your hands?' So he took it off my hands and took them in.
"They were far too cold and of course they weren't feeling great when they got out."
Stuart's father, Nigel Crang, 47, is part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's lifeboat crew, while his 23-year-old brother, Jonathan, is part of the Torbay coastguard team.
"So I'm used to it, really," Stuart said.
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Brown and Taffler, who live in Brixham, thanked Stuart with a card and boxes of sweets, the BBC said.
Brown told the BBC their rescuer was an "absolute star."
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Leave a Comment:
Good job there kiddo.
"...thanked Stuart with a card and boxes of sweets..."
A big hand shake too? Here, shake this.
Rowing? It does a body good!
What a great kid and one to be so proud of.
Do those people really believe their lives were worth a card and a box of chocolates?
Are you implying their lives are worth more or less?
But as someone's life is the most precious thing the have what price would you ultimately place on it - they could have given him a wad of cash, a cheque, a car, their house, but would it really match the value of their lives and would it really have said much more than simply saying 'thank you' and showing real and genuine gratitude?
In America this probably would not have happened, since most 10 year-olds aren't allowed near the water, especially in a rowboat, and certainly not in the ocean. Congratulations to this kid who had the wisdom to go check on the people and get them back to safety.
Stuart, you've made your parents, your teachers and everyone else who knows you very, very proud. You're being raised well. Remember this incident always, and remember along with it that doing the right thing, helping others, may be physically taxing, but it's always worth the effort.
Good show young man! You are a credit to your family!!
The boy truly did the right thing, and didn't worry about reward. Thankyou for really being your brother's keeper.
Gee in the USA we are lucky to get a 10 year old outside let alone do anything on their own. Good job.
I say! Brilliant execution of boating skills young man! A rescue of Olympic proportions!
I hear the comparisons as to what might have happened in the US (kids never go outside, kids not being allowed near the water). Hate to say it, but more likely is that - in the US - the poor kid would have had every single minute of his day taken up by pre-planned activities scheduled by his parents. So there would have been no opportunity for him to explore his own capabilities and initiative.