Bristol man who went missing at sea in small boat washes up in Ireland

A photographer from Bristol who launched a small boat in Pembrokeshire but failed to return home has been found safe and well in Ireland.

Chris Ellery had broken down in the Irish Sea before he came ashore and walked into a local police station in County Wicklow.

Chris hadn't returned home from his solo trip when expected, prompting concerns.

In a social media post, Chris' daughter, Kenzie Ellery, wrote: “My dad Chris Ellery went on a solo trip in Fishguard in Pembrokeshire on his boat on Wednesday 30th October and has gone missing. He was due home yesterday at lunchtime and did not come home.

"We last had contact with him on Wednesday and he confirmed he could be home midday Thursday 31st October, his phone has since stopped connecting our calls and no texts go through.

"He goes travelling on these solo trips regularly and is always very prepared for when situations go wrong, this is very out of character that we have not heard from him or been able to contact him.

"The police and coastguards have been searching for him and have found his belongings on a cove you can only access by boat. His boat and my dad have not been spotted and we are desperately trying to find him.

"We all need him to be home and we pray that he is safe, please share this post we need him to be safe and home as soon as possible."

A large-scale search operation involving volunteers from five lifeboat stations began on Saturday, 1 November 2024, when Fishguard RNLI received a request from HM Coastguard to launch lifeboats around 12.18pm.

Items identified as belonging to the missing man were retrieved and passed on to police.

Additional lifeboats from St Davids, Cardigan, and New Quay then joined the search.

Smaller inshore lifeboats searched close to shore, while larger lifeboats and coastguard helicopters scoured wider areas at sea, continuing until around 8pm without finding further signs of the Mr Ellery.

The search resumed the following morning, 2 November, with lifeboat crews covering a broad area along the coast from Skomer Island to Mwnt.

Later that afternoon, HM Coastguard confirmed that the missing person had arrived safely in Ireland on his small vessel.

Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Fishguard RNLI, Cedwyn Rogers said:

"This is a fantastic outcome for the casualty and his family following what must have been a very concerning time for them all and hope they are reunited very soon.

"Over the last two days volunteers from around the Pembrokeshire coast have really embodied the spirit of the RNLI and banded together in an effort to bring closure either way to the family and friends of this individual.

"In total eight lifeboats from five stations have been involved in the search as well as other volunteers and aircraft crew from the Coastguard.

"We would like to remind anyone going on excursions, particularly if going solo to ensure that another party is kept informed of your location and intentions.

"For excursions spanning multiple days it should be ensured that you have adequate means of keeping your mobile phone charged, or have a secondary means of contact such as a personal handheld VHF radio.

"Whichever means you choose should kept within reach at all times, and if necessary within a waterproof pouch.

"In an emergency around the coast please call 999 or 112 and ask for Coastguard."