A bungling sailor dubbed ‘Captain Calamity’ has sunk his boat for the 15TH time – bringing the total cost to the taxpayer to an eye-watering £40,000.
Glenn Crawley has repeatedly flipped his catamaran while trying to conquer the sea – costing the RNLI £2,500 every call out.
Harbour officials have begged Glenn, 56, to give up his favourite hobby but he has refused saying he is ”in tune with nature” and ”pushing the boundaries of sailing”.
He has been forced to make a series of SOS calls and members of the public or fellow sailors who see him floundering in the water often dial 999 to get him some help.
Glenn, of Newquay, Cornwall, set out to sea in his £1,500 catamaran on Monday – during some of the worst weather of the year.
But when the wind suddenly dropped he was stuck floating 100m from the beach – for 40 minutes.
Onlookers summoned help and rescue boats circled him offering him a tow but he told them ”I can manage” and tried to sail back.
But he flipped the catamaran in the water and was forced to push the vessel back to Newquay’s Towan Beach – with the whole hilarious ordeal caught on video.
Andy Brigden, Cornwall Council’s Maritime Manager, said they have ”better things to do” and Glenn ”richly deserves” his nickname.
He said: “The problem is that people have genuine concerns for his life and they call the
emergency services.
“The RNLI are all volunteers, they all have better stuff to do with their time, but they will respond to it because that’s what they do.
“I would urge people to sail within the limits of their competence. Obviously he’s got this Captain Calamity nickname for a reason – and it’s richly deserved.”
Glenn began sailing in 2003 when he bought a catamaran and was forced to dial 999 three times in the first year alone.
Officials pleaded with him to give up sailing because each time an RNLI crew is scrambled it costs about #2,500.
In 2007 he was rescued four times in four hours by local sailors and coastguards after he flipped his twin-hulled boat.
Three years later Glenn wrecked his previous catamaran – aptly called ‘Mischief’ – trying to ride Cornwall’s giant Cribbar wave, known as the ‘Widow Maker’.
Despite his latest humiliation, Glenn has no plans to hang up his wetsuit.
He said: ”The wind had dropped so it was very difficult to get back in. I tried a few different approaches and after about 40 minutes the RNLI came out.
“It was nice of them to offer but I declined on this occasion – I’d started something and I was determined to finish it. I wasn’t in any danger.
“I went to plan B, to put the boat in through the surf, which is what I did. Job done, no problems.
“It would have been much easier for me to grab a rope and go in but it’s my little adventure and I feel an adventure has to involve an element of risk.
”The problem the RNLI have is that if some granny walking along the cliffs calls them saying I’m in danger, they have to act on it. They’re not thrilled about it and neither am I.
“I’m not the one asking to be rescued – other people make those calls. My boat has been in mortal danger many times but that’s replaceable. I’m not in danger.
“I know what I do is a little bit different but its my way of being in tune with nature. If you ain’t got adventure in your life, you ain’t got nothing.”
The RNLI confirmed Glenn had declined two offers of assistance during Monday afternoon’s aborted rescue.
But a spokeswoman said crews would continue to respond to all mayday calls and were “not there to make judgements”.
She said: “We will always launch when requested – even if it is to people who subsequently decline our assistance.
”We will continue to launch to people, no matter how many times they need us.”
