The British Romeo who jetted across the Irish Sea to be with a girlfriend he met weeks before, admitted that he felt like a shitty “James Bond” during his challenging death mission “for love”.
Dale McLaughlan – who was arrested for breaking the travel blocking rules – told the Sunday Mirror that he spent more than $ 8,000 buying the jet ski, as well as a GPS and a dry bag to carry gifts for his new love.
“The first time I rode a jet ski was in that port,” said McLaughlan, who risked the rough sea to go from Scotland to the Isle of Man to see a new love, Jessica Radcliffe, whom he met in September.
“As soon as I got to the open sea I thought, ‘My God’. It was like being kicked in the teeth, ”he told the UK newspaper.
“It was terrible. It wasn’t fun. I followed the GPS, but after half an hour a huge wave swept over it. I had no idea where it was going,” he said.
“I thought it would take 45 minutes. I tried to check maps and ocean 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 kept me driving,” he said.
His gas tank warned him that he was about to run out as soon as he saw the Isle of Man coast, which he remembered as “a bloody relief” and “like a beacon of hope”.
But he was off target and at least 15 miles from Jessica’s house – which he says he just walked.
“I just put on my headphones and hung up. I was listening to powerful ballads, ”he told the Sunday Mirror.
Radcliffe had no idea that he was making the romantic trip, and when he arrived at her house, she “peeked out the window and let out a cry,” he said.
“She opened the door, jumped on my waist and gave me a big kiss. I said, ‘Hi, honey!’ I was still a little smelly because of the water, ”he said.
But the police soon knocked on his door after he was photographed arriving on the island, where he was denied permission to return amid strict restrictions on coronavirus against visitors.
“I didn’t deny it – I was caught in the act,” he said.
When he told the police about his jet ski ride, he remembered one who told him: “You are very lucky to be alive! I know people who wouldn’t try this in the summer on a boat. “
McLaughlan was sentenced to four weeks in prison and says he was surprised to make headlines around the world. “I was like, ‘What? I’m just a guy from Scotland! ‘People are saying that I am a legend,’ he said.
“I think I raised a lot of spirits. Many people say that I ended a terrible year well. It made me feel better, ”he said.
“I broke the law. But I did it for love, ”he said.
“I should never have done that. This could be called a passionate crime. “
Radcliffe told the paper that she loves her crazy Romeo.
“How could I not after what he did?” she said.
“I would like to marry him, but not this year. He has to come here first – legally this time! “