Farewell to boy who sailed into legend

Published on Tuesday 3 February 2009 21:43

IT STARTED as an attempt to escape his father's wrath and ended in a real-life Boy's Own adventure.

A teenager stole a fishing boat from a Scottish harbour and piloted it for more than three days across the North Sea, making headlines around the world in the process.

The reluctant star of the story, John Guthrie, recently died at the age of 72 and will be buried in Arbroath today.

Almost 60 years ago, when he was only 14, Mr Guthrie became known globally for his part in what became known as The Mystery of The Girl and The Boy.

The girl in question was a two-year-old trawler called the Girl Jean, which was moored in Arbroath harbour.

Mr Guthrie's adventures on the high seas began on 10 January, 1950, when he vanished from his home in the town on the same day the Girl Jean mysteriously disappeared.

He had already attempted to stow away on the vessel 18 months earlier (he was found by the crew among the cordage 70 miles offshore) so locals surmised correctly that the two disappearances were connected, sparking a search involving the RAF, the Royal Navy, coastguards, fishing communities and Norwegian authorities.

The public marvelled at the boy's seamanship, and were transfixed by the story, which ended when he was found by a trawler off the coast of Norway.

The Scotsman reported at the time: "Several members of the trawler's crew, at considerable risk, owing to the heavy sea running, jumped from the trawler's rail on to the deck of the much smaller fishing boat, and after a brief search found young Guthrie safe, but exhausted, in the fish hold."

Despite his audacious theft, the teenager received a rapturous welcome as he arrived in Aberdeen harbour.

But his reasons for taking the boat turned out to be less than swashbuckling. He had lost the money his father had given him to buy a newspaper and so decided to risk the high seas rather than face the music.

Mr Guthrie's fame came with a price as he was sent to an approved school for three-and-a-half years and his dreams of joining the navy ended.

Evelyn Guthrie, whom he married in 1974, yesterday explained how he had learned to sail the Girl Jean. "He was always down there as a child. He used to teach the Norwegians to speak English, and they used to give him tins of meat to take home. He was always on the boats and picked up the knowledge to pilot them just by watching."

He survived on tins of corned beef he found on board, and Mrs Guthrie said her husband never spoke of the cold or dangers he faced. "He knew that there would be some sort of search for him, but it was only when he returned to Aberdeen that he discovered the scale of it," she said.

"I think he knew he'd get into trouble, but I think he thought that if he got to Norway, it would all disappear."

Despite serving in the army and working as a lorry driver, Mr Guthrie could never escape his past. Mrs Guthrie said: "If he went to a pub and somebody happen to mention the Girl Jean, we would be out of the door.

"It was such a shame. He was so embarrassed about it and I could never persuade him that people were just curious about it."

TIMELINE

&#149 June 1948: John Guthrie makes his first attempt to reach Norway, stowing away on the Girl Jean. He is found 70 miles offshore hiding in the vessel's cordage.

&#149 10 January, 1950: The teenager makes his second attempt to reach Norway, this time by piloting Girl Jean out of Arbroath harbour and heading out into the North Sea under the cover of darkness.

&#149 12 January: An offer of a trip to America on a merchant ship is broadcast over BBC radio in the hope that it would persuade the teenager to put in to the nearest port.

&#149 13 January: Full-scale search for the teenager under way involving other fishing vessels, the RAF and the Royal Navy. The British coast is scoured as experts believe he may be drifting free.

&#149 13 January: The Girl Jean is discovered by the crew of the Reptonian in rough weather. The skipper of the trawler says that the teenager was found to be seasick and freezing.

&#149 14 January: The Girl Jean is towed into Aberdeen harbour to cheering crowds.

&#149 16 January: The Scotsman reports long queues of people forming to catch a glimpse of the trawler.