Story Archive

Unsinkable

“The boat didn’t leak,” said an unnamed would-be sailor from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, England. “I’d do it again.” The man and a friend, both in their 20s, built a boat from 9 pounds (US$13.50) worth of foam insulation panels, “held together with coat hangers” and glue. They had a “successful fishing trip” — catching some cod and crabs — before their home-made oars fell apart, leaving them adrift 200m (665 ft) off the coast. They were rescued by the Clacton Royal National Lifeboat Institution crew. No one was injured, but their boat was destroyed, apparently by the RNLI. That sort of boat was “not something we’ve ever seen before,” said lifeboat volunteer Joff Strutt. “Neither of the men had lifejackets and one of them couldn’t swim,” he said, and they were “very lucky they were spotted or things could have been a lot worse.” (RC/BBC) ...So the only part of this story that wasn’t a total failure was destroyed.
Original Publication Date: 03 May 2015
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 21.

Is There a Problem on This Page? Let Me Know using the Help button lower right, and thanks.

I believe humanity is held back by the lack of thinking. I provoke thought with examples of what happens when we don’t think, and when we do. This is True is my primary method: stories like this come out every week by email, and basic subscriptions are free. Click here for a subscribe form.

Previous: Kicking the Can

Search for:

Category: