Jane and Alan Kelvey, the British couple at the centre of an international incident involving a Russian warship, have dismissed claims they were at fault and criticised those who have questioned their actions. Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, the couple, who are continuing their sailing trip, said they were surprised by the global attention but remain unfazed.
International incident in the English Channel
The Kelveys were a few hours into a two-month sailing trip on their 12-metre yacht, Bright Future, when they encountered the Admiral Grigorovich, a 125-metre Russian frigate, in the English Channel. The warship sounded its horn and fired warning shots, which Jane described as "whip-crack" sounds. The couple steered away, avoiding any direct confrontation.
Jane, 69, and Alan, 71, who retired from a successful signage business, said they initially assumed the vessel was French or British. "We never in a million years thought it would be a Russian warship," Jane said. "You don’t expect to find them in the English Channel."
Rejecting blame and 'armchair sailors'
Russia claimed the yacht was on a "dangerous course," but the Kelveys deny this. "We weren’t at fault," Jane insisted. She also criticised "armchair sailors" who have trolled them online. "They weren’t there and they didn’t see what we saw," she said.
The couple noted that the Russian ship was not displaying required signals if it was adrift, as some reports suggested. "If they were adrift, they should have been displaying day shapes and they weren’t," Jane added.
Aftermath and reflections
Since the incident, the Kelveys have faced poor weather but no further hostile encounters. A UK defence minister called to check on them, but they have had no further contact from the Ministry of Defence. The couple noted with interest the UK government's announcement of an extra £15bn investment in defence equipment, though Jane joked, "I don’t think that was us."
Jane revealed she had a shock two days after the encounter when she remembered she had flown a Ukrainian flag on Bright Future in previous years. "Ever since 2022, I’ve flown a Ukraine courtesy flag on our yacht," she said. "I didn’t put it up this year." A fellow ex-military sailor told her, "Oh, my God, that could have been a different outcome."
Despite the drama, Alan played down the episode: "That was last month. We moved forward and we’re enjoying ourselves. I didn’t think they were trying to sink us."
