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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Emine Sinmaz, Helena Horton, Jamie Grierson and Daniel Boffey

‘We had right of way’: when British fair play met Russian firepower off the Isle of Wight

A white yacht with a sail in the colours of the union jack on calm seas.
Bright Future, a 12-metre pleasure yacht, found itself in a standoff with the 125-metre Admiral Grigorovich, a Russian frigate. Photograph: Bright future sailing

“We actually had right of way,” said Jane Kelvey, a little crossly, though keeping it civil. “But we weren’t going to argue with a warship.”

The dramatic standoff in the Channel on Tuesday morning between Admiral Grigorovich, a 125-metre (409ft) battle-hardened Russian frigate, and Bright Future, a 12-metre (40ft) pleasure yacht owned and helmed by Jane, 69, and her husband, Alan, 71, has rather caught the nation’s imagination.

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