A potential yachting disaster was averted in Switzerland earlier this month when a brave police officer leapt on board an unmanned runaway speedboat.
As the video below shows, the boat in question was a Riva-style gentleman's launch, which wouldn't look out of place at the Monaco Yacht Show. But with the luxury vessel circling out of control on Lake Zurich, dramatic intervention from the marine authorities was needed.
Aerial footage of this heroic stunt was quickly shared on social media, with some even suggesting that the man in question should be considered to play the role of James Bond in the next 007 movie.
Local police later released a statement explaining that the incident began at around 8:20pm local time when an unnamed 56-year-old skipper fell overboard, leaving his unmanned speedboat to circle out of control and causing immediate danger to nearby boaters.
A police patrol boat was dispatched, successfully intercepted and came alongside the runaway vessel. The brave officer then made the spectacular leap onto the aft deck and brought the speedboat under control. At the end of the clip, the man can be seen rubbing his face in relief after successfully pulling off the risky jump.
The cause of the incident was later revealed when breathalyser tests showed that the speedboat’s original driver had a blood alcohol level in excess of 0.1 mg/ml — the legal limit for driving a powerboat in Switzerland. Local reports added that the incapacitated skipper was rescued from the water by a member of the public.
This close shave comes less than a month after the 33.2 metre superyacht Perla Nero ran aground in Croatia’s Sibenik channel.