British retirees Jane and Alan Kelvey have called for calm after a Russian warship fired warning shots near their yacht in the English Channel, saying they do not want the incident to escalate into a major international conflict. Jane Kelvey, 69, and her husband Alan, 70, were sailing their yacht Bright Future from England's south coast to France on Tuesday when they encountered the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich.
Incident Details
The Russian vessel fired four or five warning shots, which Jane described as sounding like 'a whipcrack.' The Ministry of Defence confirmed the warning shots were fired to prevent a possible collision after attempts to contact the 40-foot British-flagged yacht, located about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters. A Russian defence ministry statement claimed the yacht was on a 'dangerous approach' and that signal flares and sound signals were used before the shots.
Crew's Account
Jane disputed the Russian version, stating: 'We were following our course from Lymington to Cherbourg at about five knots. We saw the warship in the distance and assumed it was Russian. We were in no danger and not about to collide.' She noted their yacht used an automatic identification system (AIS), so the Russian vessel knew their location. 'They didn't fire flares or radio us; they just gave five blasts from their horn. We changed course, then they fired warning shots, so we turned 90 degrees to port. But we weren't in the way at all.'
The couple contacted the UK Coastguard, and a boat from HMS Tyne later checked on their safety. Jane emphasized: 'We don't want world war three to start because of this. Had it just been the horn blasts, we wouldn't have reported it. The gunfire was surprising and unnecessary.'
Background
Alan and Jane Kelvey, who retired in 2023, owned a business making signs for the NHS, care homes, celebrities, and politicians, including Boris Johnson. Their former production manager, Daniel Murphy, praised their handling of the incident: 'That's typical of them not to be too stressed. They brush things off and have a stiff upper lip.'
Despite the scare, Jane said they are determined to enjoy their two-month sailing trip along the Brittany coast. 'It's worth working hard to get to do this,' she added.
