Even though the incident happened in June, news of it only surfaced last week. Portimão Port Captain Santos Arrabaça told The Portugal News the yacht ‘Doolou’ was found drifting in a busy shipping channel off the Portuguese coast during the early hours of 2 June.
It had one passenger aboard, identified as 71-year-old Ronald John Beasley, who is believed to originally hail from Wales but now lives in Gibraltar.
The yacht had sustained damage to its sails and was towed to Portimão port after being spotted by an Italian catamaran crew on a vessel named the Kaskazi Four.
Reports in the British media claim the Italians said they found the elderly Briton in a “confused mental state” wearing a “primitive life jacket”.
They said he could not recall where he was heading, or from where he had set sail, and that there was no food or water on the yacht.
The pensioner reportedly also believed gangsters were after him.
The port captain said a request for assistance was made and the Ferragudo lifeboat was dispatched with a full INEM medical emergency team aboard.
After the boats arrived in Portimão, Mr. Beasley “was taken to Portimão hospital with signs of dehydration and some symptoms of disorientation.”
He was discharged that same day at around 6pm.
The British consulate confirmed to The Portugal News “our consular colleagues provided consular assistance to a British national who was rescued at sea off the coast of Portugal in June 2017.”
Later that month, on 16 June, the Briton’s yacht was transported to a boatyard in Portimão for repairs.
Information suggests that Mr. Beasley left Portugal while the repairs were being carried out, and he intends to return later this month to check on the progress.