Prayer and perseverance pay off as ring is recovered

A little bit of luck – and a Prayer to St Anthony – helped to find a wedding ring which was lost in the sea on Friday.

Chris Kemp, of East Cowes, had been swimming locally at high tide when his ring came off his finger, sparking a search party later in the afternoon, along with rakes and a metal detector, in a last-ditch attempt to recover the valued band.

Chris explained: “Most days I go swimming on the beach, and, on Friday, I was out in the sea at high tide. I felt as if my wedding ring was coming off my finger, and of course, it did.

“I knew exactly where I was at the time, as it came off in relation to the beach huts. I didn’t have a chance to find it in the water at that time, so I decided to come back later in the day and find it on my own.

“However, when I returned at low tide, there was a lot of eel grass in that area and so I called my wife, Lin, to ask for reinforcements with rakes.

“Lin put out a plea on social media, and our friends, Michael and Janice Douse, popped down, along with a family with a metal detector.

“Michael and Janice are both Catholics, and Michael said he had said a Prayer to St Anthony, the patron saint of lost things.

“We were looking through the weeds with the rakes, but the tide was starting to turn and I began to lose hope. Then just as we were about to call it a day, Janice shouted over and there it was! I thought the chances of finding it were so remote; it was unbelievable.”

Michael said: “Janice found it with no metal detector, no rake, just bare feet in the water at low tide between the sand and seaweed plus excellent eyesight!”

And grateful Chris added: “It was a story with a happy ending and I’m so thankful to Janice – and to St Anthony.”