HE was desperate to return home to his home land. So French teenager Louis Baulde bided his time, watching boats come and go in Southampton Water.

Eventually he sized his chance at seeing an unattended vessel and clambered on board the yacht Eva, donning clothing he found on it.

However, he had no sooner pushed the boat away from the shore when he was tackled by George Dyer who pulled alongside in a much smaller yacht.

“Where are you going?” he politely asked.

“Havre,” he replied.

“Well, you’re not going to get far.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s my yacht!”

Boulde realised the futility of a struggle and was soon detained by the law and charged with theft.

His case came before Mr Justice Cave at Hampshire Assizes in 1877 where his defence was interpreted by Pc Springer of the Southampton borough police.

“I did not intend to steal the boat,” he protested. “I only wanted to get to Havre.”

That resulted in a roar of laugh from the packed public gallery.

“I have only been in England a day or two.”

Why he was in Britain was not revealed to readers of the Hampshire Advertiser.

He was jailed for six months.