Christopher ‘Cam’ Cameron landed on Rockall, a small islet in the North Atlantic over 200 miles off the West Coast of Scotland, on 30th May 2023. His aim was to stay on Rockall for 60 days to raise £50,000 for ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
Overnight on 27th/28th June, the weather around Rockall significantly worsened to the point of being dangerous. A lot of Cam’s equipment was destroyed by the wind and waves, and on several occasions overnight, he was almost swept away.
Harry Brayford, expedition communications and shoreside manager said “I spoke to Cam at 08:30 BST on Wednesday, and we discussed the forecast for the coming days. It was apparent Cam had suffered a really rough night, and we needed to make a quick decision on whether to abort the expedition or push on. We looked at a number of options to safely extract Cam if required, but it quickly became apparent the most appropriate option was for him to issue a ‘Mayday’ call, which was picked up by HM Coastguard at Stornoway. They have coordinated the rescue mission, and as well as deploying vessels in the immediate vicinity, they deployed both rotary and fixed wing coastguard aircraft to assist him. He was winched onto the coastguard helicopter just before 6pm BST, and then flown back to dry land. Our heartfelt thanks go to the crews of the HM Coastguard aircraft and all the vessels in the area that assisted. It’s disappointing to have to abort such an immense expedition, and whilst it was not an easy decision to make, it was the right one without question. I’ve spoken to Cam this evening and he’s in remarkably good spirits considering. He’s very much looking forward to a beer and a proper bed to sleep in.”
Cam’s family added “We are hugely proud of all his achievements, but also that he had the courage to make what must have been a very difficult decision in the face of such dreadful weather. We are looking forward to welcoming him home and hope that any future adventures will be a little less risky. Why couldn’t he just have bought a sports car in the first place?”
Aaron Wheeler, documentary director of Rockall, The Edge of Existence which was following Cam’s adventure added “We’re glad the cam is safely back on dry land and look forward to watching through the footage that Cam recorded during his occupation to tell the story of his adventure.”
Donations can still be made at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rockallexped
This incredible journey has been captured on film and will be part of a new documentary by Northern Heart Films in collaboration with Slick Films. Keep up to date with the documentary by visiting www.rockalldoc.com or following Instagram.com/rockalldoc
