An 82-year-old yachtsman was rescued in the North Sea after his yacht was being swept away right onto the oil platform.
The 25-foot sailboat Harrier of Down was rudderless 100 miles off the coast of the Shetland Islands and 86 miles off Norway in stormy conditions Tuesday night. It began to drift directly onto Total's North Alwyn oil platform, which was carrying 162 people.
Fortunately the collision was avoided: the yacht passed within half a mile of the oil platform. Eventually a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel managed to tow the yacht despite the harsh weather conditions. The owner of the boat was taken aboard the rescue vessel.
Julian Mastoe is an experienced yachtsman. He has written a book about his voyage around the world, replicating the journey that Charles Darwin made on the ship «Beagle».
