RESCUERS have spent £15,000 pulling sailor Grant Nadolski to safety four times. But despite warnings from lifeboatmen, the defiant amateur captain is determined to go out to sea again.
On Sunday night a lifeboat was scrambled to pull his makeshift fishing boat from dangerous currents in the Tyne. The £500 converted former cruiseliner liferaft, the Abbie Rose, was also towed to safety last February, March and June. But despite his run of bad boating-luck, dad-of-two Grant, 34, refuses to stop taking his pleasure cruiser out on the water.
Today RNLI spokesman Adrian Don said: “We have had to pull this guy out of the mire again. “After a catalogue of errors we have had to rescue him four times over the last 12 months. We were amazed to discover the same vessel had encountered trouble again. “No matter how many times someone has to be rescued, the RNLI will always come to their aid and we would urge anyone encountering difficulty to contact us. “We do not, however, condone stupidity at sea. We have reminded Mr Nadolski about checking his engine and mechanics before he sails. The Abbie Rose looks as if it’s in good repair, but appearances can be deceiving. The boat’s reliability clearly comes into question. We provide free checks with a marine safety expert, an offer we would urge Mr Nadolski to take up. We would like to remind seafarers they should not hesitate to call us if they find themselves in difficulty, no matter how many times they have contacted us.”
At his home in Holly Avenue, Dunston, Gateshead, Grant said: “I’ve just been very unlucky.
"That boat’s my pride and joy and I’m not getting rid of her. She’s named after my nine-year-old daughter. I’d been out all day then I just heard the engine start to splutter and I knew something had gone wrong with the propeller. It sounded like a rope had got caught on it or something.
“We were just drifting, but I didn’t want to call the lifeboat again. My mate who was with me is useless, he can’t swim or anything.
“He panicked and called his girlfriend and the next thing we knew a lifeboat had been scrambled.
“I’ve just been very unlucky. These things happen with boats, you do get problems. But it’s not going to stop me going out in her.”
In just a year, Grant and the 22ft vessel he has added a motor to himself, have been saved while stricken at sea twice and rescued from the river twice.
In February last year the fuel pump broke. Then just a month later the on-board cooker fell from its shelf and severed the fuel line. After a two-month break, June saw the propeller come loose and fall to the sea bed, leaving the boat within metres of beaching itself at Whitley Bay. Now rig worker Grant thinks his latest disaster is down to rope being caught in the propeller.
Safely tied up in new moorings at Willington Quay, the Abbie Rose faces further tinkering to get her seaworthy again.
Grant said: “I’m going to fix her. I need to get her out of the water.
“She used to be moored up in Newburn so it would take me an hour and a half to get to the sea. I’d be doing 13 miles for each trip just on the river, so her mileage is pretty high.
“She’s got all the safety features and everything you need, I just need some good luck. Now she’s moored nearer to the sea it should be better.”
Source - Evening Chronicle
On Sunday night a lifeboat was scrambled to pull his makeshift fishing boat from dangerous currents in the Tyne. The £500 converted former cruiseliner liferaft, the Abbie Rose, was also towed to safety last February, March and June. But despite his run of bad boating-luck, dad-of-two Grant, 34, refuses to stop taking his pleasure cruiser out on the water.
Today RNLI spokesman Adrian Don said: “We have had to pull this guy out of the mire again. “After a catalogue of errors we have had to rescue him four times over the last 12 months. We were amazed to discover the same vessel had encountered trouble again. “No matter how many times someone has to be rescued, the RNLI will always come to their aid and we would urge anyone encountering difficulty to contact us. “We do not, however, condone stupidity at sea. We have reminded Mr Nadolski about checking his engine and mechanics before he sails. The Abbie Rose looks as if it’s in good repair, but appearances can be deceiving. The boat’s reliability clearly comes into question. We provide free checks with a marine safety expert, an offer we would urge Mr Nadolski to take up. We would like to remind seafarers they should not hesitate to call us if they find themselves in difficulty, no matter how many times they have contacted us.”
At his home in Holly Avenue, Dunston, Gateshead, Grant said: “I’ve just been very unlucky.
"That boat’s my pride and joy and I’m not getting rid of her. She’s named after my nine-year-old daughter. I’d been out all day then I just heard the engine start to splutter and I knew something had gone wrong with the propeller. It sounded like a rope had got caught on it or something.
“We were just drifting, but I didn’t want to call the lifeboat again. My mate who was with me is useless, he can’t swim or anything.
“He panicked and called his girlfriend and the next thing we knew a lifeboat had been scrambled.
“I’ve just been very unlucky. These things happen with boats, you do get problems. But it’s not going to stop me going out in her.”
In just a year, Grant and the 22ft vessel he has added a motor to himself, have been saved while stricken at sea twice and rescued from the river twice.
In February last year the fuel pump broke. Then just a month later the on-board cooker fell from its shelf and severed the fuel line. After a two-month break, June saw the propeller come loose and fall to the sea bed, leaving the boat within metres of beaching itself at Whitley Bay. Now rig worker Grant thinks his latest disaster is down to rope being caught in the propeller.
Safely tied up in new moorings at Willington Quay, the Abbie Rose faces further tinkering to get her seaworthy again.
Grant said: “I’m going to fix her. I need to get her out of the water.
“She used to be moored up in Newburn so it would take me an hour and a half to get to the sea. I’d be doing 13 miles for each trip just on the river, so her mileage is pretty high.
“She’s got all the safety features and everything you need, I just need some good luck. Now she’s moored nearer to the sea it should be better.”
Source - Evening Chronicle
