31 Aug, 2010 @ 10:56
1 min read
2

One man booze cruise

By Nicola Cowell

A BRITISH man has woken up with the worst hangover of his life after trying to row from Minorca to Mallorca in a stolen dinghy.

The tourist, who had a beer too many in Cuitadella, decided to paddle the 40 miles to see a friend on the neighbouring island.

But, not in possesion of a boat, the man stole an inflatable dinghy that was anchored outside a restaurant in the port, and set off to the island.

A fisherman who spotted the dinghy floating eight miles out to sea alerted the coastguard and police after suspecting that it had been stolen.

The man, who had erected a makeshift sail out of an oar and the dinghy cover, was sunbathing on the yacht when he was spotted 35 miles from Mallorca.

A spokesman from the sea rescue service said the man was heading in the direction of Barcelona when he was picked up, drifting aimlessly around the mediterranean.

The man had pleaded with fisherman Josep Anglada in broken Spanish to let him continue with his journey, despite drifting for 24 hours without food or water and only travelling eight miles.

Mr Anglada said: “At first I couldn’t see anyone but then my son saw an ankle poking up over the side and then a man laying down sunbathing with his shirt off.

“The winds were changing and they would have started blowing him off course if I’d left him there.

“There is no doubt that he put himself in a very dangerous position.”

It is not known whether the man did not know how to start the engine or whether the boat ran out of petrol.

A barman at the marine club in Cuitadella said the man had been drinking in the port at lunchtime and made the split decision to take the trip.

“I’m guessing he’s going to feel a bit of a fool when he’s over his hangover,” he said.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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