Gary Jones became a hero last week. Tired and frightened, the eighteen-year-old swam through rough seas and climbed up a cliff to save a young friend. He still does not know how he did it. Gary and his friend, twenty-year-old Richard Brown, had gone out for the day in a small red and white boat that Richard had bought.They were travelling close to the shore and everything seemed to be fine. Then the engine started to make a funny sound, and Gary realised something had gone wrong. They turned off the engine, and the boat, pushed by the waves, began to move out to sea. It was moving further and further from the shore, and no-one on the beach noticed what was happening.It began to get dark and the young men realised they had to spend the night in the boat. 'It was very cold,' said Gary. 'When it was light, and we could see where we were, I knew we were miles from the shore. Richard seemed to be really ill. He was too weak to sit up and kept talking to himself. I saw we were near a small island, and decided the best thing was to swim there and see if I could get help.'Gary got to the island, climbed up the cliff and found a lighthouse where there was a telephone. Soon the emergency services arrived with a helicopter. Tonight the two friends are recovering in hospital. 'It was a lucky escape,' says Gary.