Irish drunks who miss boat head for home in stolen trawler

Two Irishmen stole a fishing boat from a Welsh harbour to return to Dublin after missing their ferry home but got lost and sailed round in circles for hours before being rescued.

The men, aged 19 and 20, took the 30ft trawler, Le Bonheur, from Holyhead and headed into the Irish Sea at around 8pm on Saturday. They were seen by two anglers and the boat's owner was alerted. The men steered at full throttle, believing that they would soon be home, but by 10pm they realised that they were totally lost and put out a Mayday call.

"They thought they were speaking to coastguards in Ireland," said Ray Steadman, of the Holyhead lifeboat. "They were very surprised when they realised they were talking to Holyhead. They had no experience of the sea whatever."

The men were arrested for "taking a conveyance" and released with a caution. They were then rearrested on suspicion of criminal damage after Paul Jones, the owner of the £38,000 boat, complained about the engine.

Last night Mr Jones, 38, a fisherman, said: "I am very upset. This is my livelihood. They revved the engine up to maximum and left it like that."

He estimated that the rescue, involving an RAF helicopter, the lifeboat and coastguard, had cost £25,000.

Insp Chris Jolley, of North Wales police, said that "probably alcohol had a part to play" in the theft.

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