Motor yacht washes ashore in Alderney after drifting through the night

Tuesday 25 April 2023

A Jersey sailor is reportedly lucky to be alive after his motor yacht was washed ashore in Alderney after he apparently ran out of fuel while trying to sail home from Guernsey.

According to media reports, the boat drifted all night in the fast currents of the tidal race between France and Alderney and ended up on a rock ledge under the island’s Fort Corblets in the early hours of Monday.

The boat later floated off and became stuck at the high water mark just below a road where it was secured by Mainbrayce marine engineers and then lifted to safety by a crane lorry. 

Mike Fitton, of Mainbrayce, who supervised the salvage and recovery, said there had been some damage to the keel.

Pictures by David Nash.

He added that the owner, who had ‘wandered off after collecting a pair of shoes’, was lucky to be alive because he could have ended up in a dozen worse spots where the boat could have been pounded by the waves without anyone being able to help.