Powerboaters lost in thick fog rescued by French 'pirates'

A POWERBOAT lost in fog resulted in a search covering 400 square miles of sea.

Martyn Willey, who was in charge of the Sweet Able at the time, said a broken GPS was the cause of the large-scale search operation.

The crew had been taking part in a Guernsey Powerboat Association poker run - a competition in which vessels have to navigate point-to-point picking up cards and see who has the best hand at the end.

Harbour master Captain Peter Gill (pictured) said: 'Instead of getting from Jersey to Guernsey, he ended up very close to Cap de la Hague.'

The first boat to answer the Sweet Able's mayday call was Etoile de France - a 1930s schooner. 'When we saw that pirate ship coming out of the fog I expected to see Captain Jack Sparrow with a parrot on his arm,' Mr Willey said.

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