Falmouth Packet: Ex-mayor's yacht hit by trawler

THE crew of a Falmouth boat skippered by former mayor Dougie Martin had to scramble for their lives after it was hit by a Spanish trawler.
The boat, Girl Jenny, sank in under two minutes after it was hit by the Spanish ship Navegante Magallanes which gouged a 12 foot hole in her side.
The two men on board managed to get into a liferaft following the collision off the eastern top edge of the Eastern Breakwater.
The men were picked up by the 38 metre stern trawler and taken ashore uninjured just after the accident at 6pm on Saturday.
The Falmouth inshore lifeboat and a pilot boat were scrambled but then recalled after it was realised the men were safe.
The Girl Jenny is used as a workboat to carrying cargo and people up the Carrick Roads.
Brendan Rowe, director of Sea-Wide Services Ltd based on Falmouth Wharves in North Parade which salvaged the vessel, said it had sunk in 35 feet of water.
"We had to dive down on it and attach airbags to the boat and float it to the surface," he said. "There was a 12 foot section of the boat missing and it was pretty badly damaged.
"The boat went down in under two minutes. It was a difficult salvage because there was massive damage to the boat. It took all day to bring it up."
The boat has been placed in Falmouth Marina awaiting a decision on what to do with it.