WELL known game fishing charter boat Little Audrey caught on fire at Port Douglas in far north Queensland over the weekend.
According to the Cairns Post, those on board the 76′ Warren Yacht saw flames shoot out of the engine room after its motors had been shut down on its approach to the dock.
“We all went to get off the boat as soon as we could and we were just lucky there were other boats nearby. Everybody was real helpful,” said Texan client Tom Shumate.
A well known vessel amongst Australia’s game fishing fleet, Little Audrey became famous worldwide when a youtube clip of a 600lb marlin leaping onto its deck was posted on Fisho last year. The clip subsequently went viral and has now clocked up over 8 million views. See it HERE.
Little Audrey’s owner Phil Webster spoke briefly to Fisho today after carrying out an initial inspection of the boat. He says the fire damage seems to be confined to the boat’s engine room.
“The rest of the boat looks ok,” he said.
Webster says he is now awaiting an insurance assessment before any repair plans can be made.
“We’ll be back,” he added.
