Fishing vessel leaves owners 'stone broke' after sinking in Whitby harbour

The Whitby RNLI launched the inshore lifeboat to assist with the fishing vessel, Stoney Broke, which sank in the harbour Credit: Ceri Oakes/RNLI

A fishing vessel called Stoney Broke has left its owners 'stone broke' afterit sank in the historic seaside town of Whitby.

The £25,000 fishing trip transporter is thought to have been tampered with overnight on Monday after it was found tied up incorrectly to the harbour side.

When the tide rose on Tuesday morning the boat capsized and later sunk.

Whitby RNLI were on the scene and assisted the operation to re-float the empty red-coloured boat with the use of an inshore lifeboat.

The company Whitby Fishing Trips are now looking at loss of earnings in the region of £15k because Stoney Broke will now be out of action for some weeks.

Credit: Ceri Oakes/RNLI

Skipper Barry Rodgers, who owns the boat, said: " I just can't believe it. We're going to lose about £15k in earnings because of the time of year this has happened in.

"Our insurance rates for the boat is at £25k - but it's going to cost us money because we're out of action aren't we."

Mr Rodgers said he believed someone had purposely fastened the rope from the deck of the boat to the harbour wall - causing it flip over and sink. He added it would take a long time for the company to recover.

Adding: "I've been doing this now for 40 years - I'm the longest serving skipper in this town and nothing like this has ever happened."