It is not very often that you hear a tale about a captain that dives overboard to rescue one of his wayward “passengers” from the sea, but the BBC is reporting just such a tale today. What’s more, the passengers were the four-legged kind but both owner and captain feared the creature might not be able to swim leaving little choice but to stage the unusual rescue.
It is not very often that you hear a tale about a captain that dives overboard to rescue one of his wayward “passengers” from the sea, but the BBC is reporting just such a tale today. What’s more, the passengers were the four-legged kind but both owner and captain feared the creature might not be able to swim leaving little choice but to stage the unusual rescue.
Tom Sexton took command of the small cargo ship the Gry Maritha in April after the vessel’s senior captain retired in the spring after 22 years with the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. Just a small 123- foot knockabout built in 1981, the 590 ton vessel provides a vital, year-round freight service between Penzance in Cornwall in the UK and 36 miles to St. Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. She is equipped to carry palletized cargo and bulk fuel plus she has a deck crane which enables the ship to carry large goods up to a maximum weight of six tons, including vehicles and machinery.
Last week during one of her regular runs she boarded two unusual passengers, meerkats that were being transported by their owner on their way to a zoo in Axminster, Devon, England. Named Doris and Boris, the animals which weigh less than two pounds were caged for the trip from the Isles of Scilly. Some how when they were arriving in Penzance, the animals got free and were running around the deck of the little cargo ship.
Reference: maritime-executive.com
