The crew of a Baltic Fleet patrol boat was extremely surprised to come across a lonely, crewless yacht during a routine raid. The mysterious find was discovered several kilometers off the Kaliningrad coast.
But their fears were unfounded. «The crew, as it turned out, of the Polish ghost-boat» is safely sipping gzhanets in their homeland.
The vessel was swept into Russian waters after it was wrecked during the regatta «Battle of Gotland». The competition is notorious for boats often missing the finish line due to heavy storms in the Baltic at this time of year.
When the lifejacketed yachtsman was able to re-enter the deck, he discovered the yacht was taking on water, with the broken foremast hanging off the starboard side.
Fearing that the vessel would not be able to withstand another wave, the captain hurriedly began to send out SOS signals. Within a few minutes the Pole was already sitting in the rescue helicopter, mentally bidding farewell to his boat.
Loxa is now moored at the military base in Baltiysk, but her crew asks for their personal belongings only, as it would be too expensive to transport the boat itself.