‘We had right of way’: when British fair play met Russian firepower off the Isle of Wight
Jane and Alan Kelvey’s holiday yacht met a warship in the Channel – at a tense time for Anglo-Russian relations
TL;DR
- Jane and Alan Kelvey's 12-metre yacht, Bright Future, had an encounter with the 125-metre Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich in the English Channel.
- The Kelveys claim they had the right of way but yielded to avoid conflict with the warship.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence stated warning shots were fired after the yacht allegedly failed to respond to communication attempts and was on a collision course.
- The Kelveys maintain they were sailing, their AIS transponder was on, and they changed course after hearing the frigate's horn.
- The incident occurred about 20 nautical miles from the Isle of Wight.
- The UK Ministry of Defence referred to it as a 'nautical incident', while the British Prime Minister called the Russian action 'reckless'.
- The Kelveys, retired owners of a signage business, were on their way to Cherbourg for a two-month sailing trip.
- After the encounter, the couple contacted the coastguard, were visited by HMS Tyne, and debriefed by French gendarmerie before continuing their holiday.