boat ‘Ardel’

By John Coles - The Sun
 

Two bungling boatmen bought a yacht on eBay - and wrecked it on their maiden voyage.

The hapless pair were trying to move their new pride and joy just half a mile, from one marine to another, when they came to grief. They set off at midnight but hit a rocky outcrop near the entrance to St. Peter Port in Guernsey and got stuck fast.

The unnamed duo - described as two Sikhs - sent out an SOS and a lifeboat was launched but couldn’t get near the rocks.

A dinghy eventually reached them at 2am - but they were forced to abandon their boat ‘Ardel’ to the waves.

The pale blue yacht, thought to have cost around £3,000, remained stranded on Goubeau Reef today and looked set for a watery grave.

Richard Poat, 52, a plumbing inspector who lives near the harbour entrance, said: “I woke up and saw the boat on the rocks about 100 metres from the harbour.

“I heard that the people on board were two Sikh gentlemen who had clearly not been aware of the reef.

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