Joy at getting off Atlantic outcrop

The beaming grin on his face as he shook hands with the crew onboard the Kilda Cruises’ vessel MV Orca III showed Nick Hancock’s joy in achieving his challenge to be Rockall longest occupier - especially as heavy seas forced him to abandon a similar attempt last summer.

Nick - who was presented with a length of Isle of Harris tartan Harris Tweed from Catriona Campbell of the Harris Tweed shop in Tarbert - said: “The first thing I want to do is hug my wife and little boy. Then, have a shower.”

He added: “Its really nice to be around other people. A month and a half sat on that rock on my own has been quite difficult.”

But he had to wait yet another day before he could touch dry land. The homeward bound Orca III steamed 100 miles to shelter in Village Bay, St Kilda.

She arrived in her home port of Leverburgh around 9.30am yesterday (Sun), nearly 20 hours after Nick bid farewell to Rockall.

Well-wishers joined Nick’s wife, Pamela, and their two-year-old son, Freddie, on the pier to greet him.

Pamela said: “Its fantastic to have Nick back. I am so pleased he is safe and sound.”

She revealed she was worried when a storm hit the rock and was concerned how he would endure the isolation with nobody to talk to.

Measured in calm conditions, Rockall - located at a place which - if it wasn’t there - would be the edge of territorial waters - officially stands 18 metres above sea level.

But two weeks ago, storm waves lashed over the islet’s 25 metre girth, sweeping away Nick’s essential food supplies, as well as his buoyancy aid, thus scuppering his chances of lasting out his original target of 60 days.

Nick, crouched inside his eight-foot long plastic survival pod, converted from an unwanted water tank perched on the only ledge on the desolated outcrop, as the sea crashed overhead.

Careful rationing stretched out his food for three days beyond 42-day overall occupation record, set by a Greenpeace team in 1997.

In addition, it beats former SAS soldier Tom McClean 1985 residency by the best part of a week.

Also lost in the storm was electronic wiring links to transit automatic wind speeds from an anemometer for an university research project. With Nick’s departure device is now twirling away on its own.

► www.justgiving.com/rockallsolo

Joy at getting off Atlantic outcrop 21/7/14