A yachtsman's retirement dream of building a boat and sailing it to France came to an abrupt end when he had to be rescued after getting injured 25 miles off the Norfolk coast.
A yachtsman's retirement dream of building a boat and sailing it to France came to an abrupt end when he had to be rescued after getting injured 25 miles off the Norfolk coast.
Yarmouth coastguard was called out after the mast of the yacht called Bessie broke off, but a lack of adequate lights or proper communication equipment on board hampered rescued efforts.
The boat's owner, 76-year-old Alistair Butler, from Doncaster, was injured during the incident on Friday night, but was released from hospital after treatment.
It is understood Mr Butler, who had two companions on board, had been building the 10-metre yacht from steel since 1999 and was aiming to sail to Calais. Bessie was towed into Gorleston during the early hours of Saturday.
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