Mr Picknett manoeuvred the lifeboat so the crew could pull the man from the sea.

BBC: Redcar lifeboat rescuer Mike Picknett receives BEM

The RNLI's Exmouth inshore lifeboat was launched, but the crew of the Wavelet managed to turn the yacht round and pull the unconscious man from the sea, a Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said.

BBC: Yacht boom knocks Devon sailor, 72, overboard

Charlton Heston again, and a section from The Old Man and the Sea.

NPR: The Enduring Depths of 'Old Man and the Sea'

The man was sighted in the sea about 20 miles from the port of Rosslare as rescue helicopters were heading for the scene.

BBC: Ferry passenger dies after falling overboard

While the crew enjoyed the port town at sea level, the strongest man on earth preferred to admire Barcelona from above, choosing the hilltop of Montjuic, which overlooks the city, for its magnificent views.

FORBES: Overview

It is built on marshland and protected from the sea by resilient man-made dikes.

BBC: Anti-European tide sweeps Dutch marshlands

Several of its grander houses, built when a man could still harvest riches from the sea, are boarded up.

BBC: A culinary pilgrimage along the Way of St James

One particularly scenic spot is the Piscinas de la Fajana near the town of Barlovento, where you can take a dip in natural pools of saltwater separated from the sea only by low man-made barriers.

BBC: Mini guide to activities in the Canary Islands

The BP Oil Spill was unique in that it was a man-made disaster, played out in slow motion over months and televised from the bottom of the sea.

FORBES: The Banality of Catastrophe: The New Normal of Oil Spills