A FISHERMAN who discovered an unmanned yacht off the west coast of Scotland has claimed its missing owner was "crazy" to go out in such poor weather.
Ally McDougall, skipper of the Scotia Star, said that the weather was particularly bad in Kilbrannan sound, off Arran, when Ryan Martin's boat was discovered at 2.20pm Wednesday.
Mr Martin, a 54-year-old IT consultant from Milton Keynes, was last seen docked at Lochranza on the island at midday. His boat was discovered just a few miles off shore from the village.
A rescue operation was launched by the coastguard but was called off on Thursday afternoon.
Mr McDougall said: "The conditions were very poor when we found the boat. It was crazy to be out in such a wee boat.
"We saw a light on inside the boat and thought someone was on board but when we managed to get some of the crew on there was no-one there.
"We then alerted the coastguard and towed the boat to Tarbert. His passport was on board but there was no sign of the anchor and chain.
"I later heard that the engine on the boat had seized so that could have caused a few problems."
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