While the man was able to wade to safety, the woman was further out and struggling to keep her head above water.
The amphibious dukw headed for the casualty caught in an especially difficult position that Mr McIlwraith told Express left him “very surprised.”
Pictured: The young woman became trapped by the tide as she made her way along the Elizabeth Castle causeway.
“She was actually on the causeway at the highest point. My immediate thought was I hope she doesn’t try to come aboard the boat because she’ll come off the causeway. That’s another 16 to 18 inches of water and she would have been below it,” he explained.
“The water was very, very high. We didn’t want to bring the dukw too near because the bow wave would have gone over her head, so we turned the boat away from her and stopped the engine.”
But a further complication emerged when he tried to communicate with the woman, with whom he said there was a “language barrier”: “I asked if she could swim, and she told me ‘no’.”
With not a second to lose as the water continued to rise around her, Mr McIlwraith made the snap decision to dive in fully-clothed. He swam across to her with a buoy and lifebelt “to give her some buoyancy.”
Pictured: Mr McIlwraith was spotted entering the water from a distance by the Elizabeth Castle gardener, who snapped this shot (right).
Gordon Inwood and his wife, who had been leaving Elizabeth Marina aboard their Orkney Pilothouse 20 pleasure boat ‘Normandy Dog’, also responded to the call for help.
Once Mr McIlwraith had got his rescuee into the ring, the Inwoods helped them onto their vessel and took them to Albert Pier where an ambulance was waiting.
Despite having played their own crucial part in the rescue effort, Mr Inwood said that the true praise lay with the Castle Ferry skipper, who recalled had “constantly reassured” the panicked non-swimmer as he approached her in the water.
Back on land, the woman was said to be “very cold, very shocked and barefoot” and coughing after having swallowed some water, but seemed to be recovering.
Pictured: The Castle Ferry and Normandy Dog at the causeway to assist the casualty. The lifeboat can be seen on shore in the background.
By Mr McIlwraith’s admission, “it was a very close call.”
“Drowning was only a few inevitable minutes away… I feel the actions of the Castle Ferry skipper saved this lady’s life, undoubtably,” Mr Inwood added.
Dozens of islanders have since praised the “star” skipper’s efforts on social media, with one writing on Facebook: “Wow, what an amazing act of bravery and kindness. Glad to hear all involved are safe and well x”
Others, including Mr Inwood, are calling for some special recognition for Mr McIlwraith.
Pictured: Mr and Mrs Inwood, owners of Normandy Dog, which was involved in the rescue efforts.
“Leaving a warm, dry boat to climb into cold sea water during a flooding tide to save another person’s life surely deserves some sort of recognition… The skipper of the ferry however, was equally wet and cold but was in excellent form, he’s clearly a tough bird!… That bloke saved the woman’s life, no shadow of a doubt,” Mr Inwood told Express.
Ports of Jersey added their thanks, reminding islanders to “check tide and weather conditions before heading to the coast.”
It’s not the first time that such a warning has been given. Mr McIlwraith, who has worked 11 seasons with the dukw service, said he had picked up two young people and a dog who had nearly found themselves in similar circumstances in the past.
“People just don’t realise how quickly it comes in and try to walk across with the incoming tide. It just does catch a lot of people out,” he explained.
Pictured: Islanders captured on camera dangerously trying to make their way back from the Castle with the incoming tide last year. (Joe Mourant)
Despite the praise heaped on him for his actions, the ferry driver modestly describes Sunday’s rescue as a combination of “good luck” and strong teamwork with the Normandy Dog’s “absolutely fantastic” owners.
Far from recognition of any kind, a “great result” for Mr McIlwraith would be islanders heeding the message to be extra careful on the causeway.