#BuyingABoat - Don't buy boats online when drunk - that's the strong message from a Cornwall harbourmaster who says he's spent thousands of pounds removing abandoned vessels from his port.
As the Cornish Guardian reports, Fowey harbourmaster Captain Paul Thomas pinned the blame on internet auction sites that make it all too easy for people to purchase a boat on a whim - without taking into account the costs of maintenance, mooring and insurance.
"It's one of the plagues of harbourmasters," he said of the impulse buying phenomenon.
"People can be seduced into buying a boat really easily, often late at night and maybe after a few drinks, but buying it is the easy part."
Among the vessels disposed of at Fowey in a recent crackdown on owners who've shirked their responsibilities include a catamaran, a yacht, numerous smaller vessels in various states of disrepair, and a fishing trawler of the likes that can cost tens of thousands of pounds to decommission.
The Cornish Guardian has much more on the story HERE.