A British Romeo who traveled on a jet ski across the Irish Sea to be with a friend he had met just weeks before admitted to feeling like a “wretched James Bond” during his death-defying love mission “.
Dale McLaughlan – who was jailed for violating travel rules – told the Sunday Mirror he spent more than $ 8,000 buying jet skis, as well as a GPS and a dry bag to carry gifts for his new love.
“The first time I even stayed with a jet ski was in that port,” said McLaughlan, who risked the rough seas to get from Scotland to the Isle of Man to see a new love Jessica Radcliffe, whom he met in September.
“As soon as I hit the open water, I thought, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was as if you received a blow to the teeth “, he told the British newspaper.
“It was terrible. It wasn’t fun. I tracked the GPS, but after half an hour, a massive wave erased it. I had no idea where I was going,” he said.
“I thought it would take 45 minutes. I tried to check the ocean maps and currents, which I had no idea how to read, “he admitted.
“After two hours, I thought, ‘Where the hell am I?’ I couldn’t see anything … I thought I was lost at sea. I was scared, “he said.
“But the thought of Jessica made me move on,” he said.
His gas tank warned him that he was about to run out when he saw the Isle of Man coast, which he remembered as “a bloody relief” and “a beacon of hope.”
But he was not targeted and was at least 15 miles from Jessica’s house – which he says just went.
“I just glued my headphones on and went. We listen to ballads of power, “he told the Sunday Mirror.
Radcliffe had no idea she was going on a romantic trip, and when she got home, she “looked out the window and screamed,” he said.
“She opened the door, jumped around my waist and gave me a big kiss. I said, “Hello, baby!” I was still a little smelling of water, “he said.
But police soon came beating him after he was photographed arriving on the island, where he was denied permission to return amid strict coronavirus restrictions against visitors.
“I did not deny it – I was caught red-handed,” he said.
When he told the police about jet skiing, he remembered one who said, “You’re lucky to be alive! I know people who wouldn’t try this on the boat in the summer. “
McLaughlan was sentenced to four weeks in prison and says he was amazed to make headlines around the world. “I said, ‘What?’ I’m just a guy from Scotland! “People say I’m a legend,” he said.
“It simply came to our notice then. Many people say that we have ended a terrible year well. That made me feel better, “he said.
“I violated the law. But I did it out of love, “he said.
“I should never have done that. It could be called a crime of passion. “
Radcliffe told the newspaper that he loved Romeo.
“How could I not follow what he did?” she said.
“I would like to marry him, but not this year. He has to get here first – legally this time! “