Sinking Ship

Dominic Arkwright meets another person who's made or received a life-changing phone call.

Alex Evans was shopping in an Aberystwyth DIY store with his mum when he took a call from his friend Mark Corbett.

Mark said he was on board a ship in the Caribbean and that it was sinking. The radio wasn't working and the only number he could remember was his best friend's.

Alex grabbed a till receipt, borrowed a pen from his mum, and started to take down the details.

Both are volunteers for the RNLI, but when Alex heard the name of the vessel in distress there was a moment of hesitation.

"When he said the yacht was called Titanic, I did have to ask if this was a wind-up. But there was real panic in his voice, so I knew it was the real thing."

Producer: John Byrne

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.