Retired British couple stranded in Bahamas after yacht struck by lightning

Timothy Sigsworth
Mike and Helen spent £50,000 on their yacht, all of their life saving, in the hope of travelling the world
Mike and Helen spent £50,000 on their yacht, all of their life saving, in the hope of travelling the world - PA REAL LIFE/PA

A retired British couple is stranded in the Bahamas after the yacht they spent their life savings on was hit by lightning.

Mike and Helen Beech were moored off a small island near George Town when a lightning bolt hit the mast of their £50,000 boat with an “almighty bang” at 6.30pm on March 23 during an electrical storm.

The strike destroyed all of its electrical equipment, which will cost £36,000 to repair and must be fixed by the start of hurricane season in June.

The pensioners’ insurance is expected to cover the majority of the bill but will leave them to pay £6,000 out of their own pockets, which they say they cannot afford.

The yacht could even be written off completely, which would ruin the Suffolk couple’s dream to sail around the world and visit their son Charlie, 29, in New Zealand.

Mike Beech, a retired truck driver, was grateful to be alive and not on deck during storm
Mike Beech, a retired truck driver, was grateful to be alive and not on deck during storm - PA REAL LIFE
The couple had used their life savings along with a large part of Helen Beech's NHS midwife pension
The couple had used their life savings along with a large part of Helen Beech's NHS midwife pension - PA REAL LIFE

Mr Beech, a 63-year-old retired truck driver, said: “It’s really scary at the moment because all the other boats are racing back to the US to get out of the hurricane and tropical storm belt and we’re stuck here.

“I have never seen an electrical storm like it but we’re alive, because I’m not sure what would have happened if we had been on deck.”

The Beeches bought Mistral Dancer, their 38ft yacht, from Hamble-le-Rice in Hampshire for about £50,000 in July 2018.

They crossed the Atlantic in 2022 and have spent the last year island-hopping in the Caribbean.

But disaster struck in March when they were cooking dinner while moored off the small Bahamian island of Crab Cay, which they were preparing to leave to set sail for Colombia via Jamaica.

The bolt was captured on camera by other sailors who were more than 1,000ft away.

The lightning strike destroyed all of the electrics in the couple's yacht
The lightning strike destroyed all of the electrics in the couple's yacht - PA REAL LIFE/PA

“At first I thought someone had crashed into the side of us or something,” Mr Beech said. “With it was this massive flash of white and blue light that just lit the inside of the boat up.

“It was like a flashbulb but 100 times brighter and with blue light added to it. Obviously it’s over and done with by the time you hear it. There’s no time to panic.”

The GPS system, autopilot, depth sounder, speed log, and close-hauled gauge have all been destroyed, as well as the alternator and electrical relays.

“The bill from the surveyor is horrendous,” Mr Beech said. “He reckons it’s about 20,000 dollars (£15,900) in parts and about 25,000 dollars to fly somebody out here with the relevant knowledge.

“I had no idea that it would be so expensive. That’s almost what we paid for the boat, which was all our savings and a chunk of Helen’s [NHS midwife] pension.”

A GoFundMe raising money for their insurance excess and additional costs of renewing their Bahamas visas and cruising permit had received £2,500 on Thursday night.

Advertisement