Posted on 08/11/2004 10:37:34 PM PDT by Stoat
YACHT skipper and his crew were rescued for the second time in four days after getting stuck in the path of a large ferry in the Firth of Forth.
Mike Thompson, 67, sparked a lifeboat rescue at the weekend when both of his boat’s motors broke and the vessel hit rocks.
His 23ft yacht, Lady Marion, had been drifting for hours in thick fog when a rescue team plucked the three-man crew - one of whom was developing hypothermia - to safety.
But a lifeboat was called out to rescue the skipper again on Tuesday after he got stranded in the path of the Superfast Ferry en route from Rosyth to Zeebrugge. The ferry, which is the length of two football pitches, had to slow down following a radio message to navigation officials telling them that Mr Thompson, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, had become stuck on the busy shipping route.
The weekend incident happened when Mr Thompson and his crew - Anne Crombie and Neil Berry - were sailing to Anstruther for a fish supper. Mr Thompson, who chose to navigate in thick fog using only his sight, hindered the rescue operation by giving Anstruther lifeboat crews co-ordinates for a location six miles away from where he was actually stranded.
Mr Thompson, an experienced sailor who has raced yachts for Scotland and Great Britain, said: "It is just sheer bad luck. We have spent a lot of money on that boat and we really don’t deserve this to happen to us.
"We thought we would navigate the old-fashioned way - using sight. The boat’s engine suddenly broke down but we had a new outboard motor that I have just spent £2,000 on. We headed in towards a bay but then the boat bumped into some rocks.
"We tried to turn the yacht around and something seemed to catch the outboard motor and it was ripped right off the back of the boat. We couldn’t believe it.
"It flew right up in the air but I still don’t know what the hell caused it.
"We had to call out a lifeboat crew from Anstruther to come and rescue us. They were just fantastic because we were getting a bit worried about my friend Anne, as she had become hypothermic. But that’s just sailing for you."
Three days later Mr Thompson, a retired lorry mechanic, and Mr Berry, 51, decided to sail into the Forth again from the marina at Dalgety Bay Sailing Club.
Mr Thompson said: "We got the motor fixed and headed out for another day’s sailing. It had been lovely and we were just turning to come back when we heard a ruddy great crack at the back of the boat.
"That was our rudder gone and we were stranded in the Forth again. It was very unfortunate. I think we were in the path of the super-ferry and they had to slow down but, then, that’s seamanship.
"I’ve had to help many sailors in trouble in my time and this time it was their turn. I just hope my insurance will cover the damage to my boat."
Mike McErlane, helmsman of the Kinghorn Lifeboat Crew, said: "We were called out to rescue the crew of the Lady Marion after they anchored in the middle of a main shipping channel. When we arrived and saw what position they were in, I had to contact Forth Navigation to slow a ship and the Superfast Ferry down, whilst we assisted the boat to safety.
"They were lucky not to be hit by a ship. Their rudder had broken off and the yacht had no steering at all. It was the second time this week that they have had to be rescued on the Forth and I think they will be due a fair size donation to RNLI lifeboats now.
"We towed them into Dalgety Bay and I think the coastguard had a word with them about it all."
A spokesperson for Fife Police said: "I think the coastguard have had stern words with them because it is not fair to keep calling out rescue boats."
LOL.......Stay safe !
Red
A 23 foot boat is not a yacht...it's a boat.
It's barely a boat, more like a dinghy.:)
"A 23 foot boat is not a yacht...it's a boat"
Possibly a cultural difference in expression....everything is bigger here in the USA :-)
This is funny as it gets before it's downright silly.! The guys an ex-truck mechanic so you'd imagine he has a grasp of the transportation principle!
BUT - for the sake of the shipping/commercial boat traffic Please, somebody, ship this guy a frozen salmon or a fresh grouper and maybe a bagel and ask him to please stay home this weekend! His luck is running out!!
LOL!
YACHT skipper and his crew were rescued for the second time in four days after getting stuck in the path of a large ferry in the Firth of Forth.
Not to be confused with Yaksmen...
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