Delivery men red-faced as they sink €250k powerboat
The men were en route to Crosshaven, Co Cork, with the machine when they hit rocks off the south-west coast of England.
They’d set off in the luxury Sealine 37 powerboat from Southampton before stopping early yesterday at Falmouth, Cornwall, to refuel.
Shortly after casting off again, at 5.45am, the powerboat hit jagged rocks near St Anthony’s Head.
The force of the impact split the powerboat’s hull and the two men were left with little choice but to abandon ship.
They scrambled onto the rocks and watched helplessly as the expensive piece of machinery started to sink.
Sealine boats, which are among the leading powerboats in the world, usually come equipped with a power sunroof, bathing platform and LCD televisions.
Lifeboat crews and coastguard units arrived quickly on the scene and tried to tow the 37ft-long vessel towards a beach.
But their efforts proved futile, and the powerboat sank in 15ft of water.
A spokesman for Falmouth coastguard said it wasn’t clear how the men managed to hit the rocks.
“They have got some serious explaining to do. I can only imagine what they must have thought when they saw it sink to the bottom of the sea,” he said.
He added that while the men weren’t injured, their pride probably was.
“Somewhere out there is a rich sailor who forked out a fortune for a boat which never arrived.”
Falmouth lifeboat station said the vessel had been imported into England from America and was travelling at 16 knots when it crashed into the rocks.
“They were too close to the coast and hit sharp rocks and it never stood a chance. The bottom was shattered completely. We tried to drag it to the beach, but it sank,” the spokesman said.
After being rescued the delivery men got the first available bus back to Southampton.
“They were gutted, as you would be, if you had just crashed someone else’s powerboat worth more than most people will ever see,” he said.
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