'Ghost ship' spotted

IS THIS the ghost of the famous Elizabethan ship that floundered off Alderney in 1592?

Alderney holidaymaker Bill Cook photographed the spectre-like vessel on Wednesday 19 December as it headed towards the breakwater.

Mr Cook was on a drive around the island with his wife.

'It was a misty day and quite atmospheric and my wife asked me to stop the car so she could take a picture of the lighthouse,' said Mr Cook.

'She was just using her point-and-shoot camera and said she could see something at sea.

'I got my camera out and zoomed in on it and I could make out a small three-masted vessel hugging the coast.

'We watched it for a while as it made its way to the breakwater and towards Guernsey, passing a Condor ferry on the way.'

Mr Cook suggested it could be The Matthew, a replica of the 15th-century ship that took John Cabot from Bristol to Newfoundland.

'When I got back I noticed it wasn't docked, so I thought it could be the one I saw.'

But doubts persist. Enquiries to the organisation that runs the Matthew for corporate and public trips have not yielded a response, and the vessel did not stop at Guernsey or Alderney, according to harbour authorities.

Was it a ghost ship?

Email me at editor@alderneyjournal.com if you have any information.

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Alderney is to stage its very first performing arts festival.

The event, to be held from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 May, will see performances from talented groups and individuals from the world of dance, theatre and music.

Performers travelling to the island for the festival include Reinis Zarins, an up-and-coming Latvian concert pianist, Breton dance troupe Legendanse and the more-modern Rockabellas.

It will also feature sets from Alderney troupes such as the Vocalistas, Tom Hicks and Casey Jo from Guernsey and workshops on skills such as mandolin and percussion playing.