A SAILOR who was saved from drowning by the RNLI has spoken of how a freak wave catapulted him from his boat into freezing waters.

Cornelis van Rietschoten, son of champion round-the-world Dutch yachtsman Conny van Rietschoten, was sailing back to Shoreham harbour last Saturday after a trip to see the construction of the Rampion offshore wind farm.

The 56-year-old was just an hour away from home when a rogue wave threw him out of his boat, the Vagabond.

He said: “We were having a great sail, the wind was at our backs, but there was quite a lot of wind, and quite high waves. It was choppy.

“And then we were hit by a wave that I didn’t see coming. It was bigger and from a different direction.

“It tipped the boat over and catapulted me out. I went out with such force and such speed it was a useful thing my mate on the boat, Spencer, was there to control it.”

Spencer Neal phoned in a mayday message while trying to ensure the boat, a 30ft Morgan Giles, did not hit Cornelis in the choppy seas.

Cornelis said: “ I was wearing a life jacket - as you should - and just as well that I was or I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”

He was in the water for more than half an hour before being rescued by the combined efforts of the coastguard and RNLI.

The lifeboat from Shoreham, launched at 1.15pm, spotted his bright yellow life jacket which kept him above the waves, but the conditions were too rough to allow the boat safely to get close.

Cornelis was eventually dragged from the water by a coastguard helicopter crew.

He recovered quickly after being transferred to hospital where he spent several hours shaking violently and uncontrollably as a result of prolonged exposure to the cold water.

He said the volunteer crews undoubtedly saved his life.

He said: “No question it was a very close call, I owe these people my life.

“Those guys are putting their lives in danger to rescue me, and I know these things happen, but it’s fantastic what they do.”

Cornelis, who has lived in the area for 40 years since moving from the Netherlands, taught himself to sail in Chichester where he worked as a windsurf instructor.

He said he intends to go back on to the water.

He said: “I’ve got to do some repairs on the boat but I’ll be back out as soon as she’s fit to sail.

"It's like falling off a horse, you have to get straight back on.”