Yacht breaks mooring in storm - and parks itself in marina a mile away

Fri, 27 May 2011
Ben Meakins
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Dehler 38 makes unassisted voyage in Kerrera Sound near Oban

On Tuesday, as Scotland was hit by winds of over 50 knots, one boat decided she had had enough. Sea Witch, a Dehler 38, broke her mooring, successfully avoided wrecks, rocks and moored yachts and parked herself in a vacant marina berth nearly a mile away - as marina residents watched in amazement!

Owner Simone Banerjee was at work at the time. She told PBO: 'I think Sea Witch broke free of her mooring in Cardingmill bay about 1600hrs. From the accounts I've heard she was noted moving in a direction that would have taken her out of the bay, before she made a positive turn to head into Oban Marina, passing between the north cardinal and the wreck.'

Mike Dellar, on another boat in the marina, told PBO: 'The boat manoeuvred itself three quarters of a mile across Kerrera Sound, carefully avoiding the drying rocks, sunken wrecks and moored boats, turned left into Oban Marina and then found a free finger pontoon.'

Simone continued: 'She luffed up a couple of times, the last one of which was almost a 90 degree turn into a berth. She slowly headed to the other side of the pontoons, put her stern on a finger pontoon and her stbd rail on someone's anchor. The guys from the yard apparently managed to push her bow off and she slipped into the berth.'

'It's amazing, it defies all logic for the conditions!'

The video below, taken by Andrew Gordon, showsSea Witch making her way into the marina.

Nearby, the ex-Whitbread maxi Drum, previously owned by rockstar Simon Le Bon, broke her mooring and was washed on to the rocks. This continues her run of bad luck - she previously lost her keel and had an altercation with a submarine.