Navigation lights mistaken for a UFO at sea

Summary

On 3 July 1990 a sailor at the helm of his yacht observed for about thirty seconds a luminous oval object showing red and blue-green lights, with no noise or disturbance to the boat. Originally classified D, GEIPAN reviewed the case and concluded the lights matched the navigation and landing lights of an aircraft on night approach. The absence of anti-collision lights could be explained by fog or heavy rain, and the yacht's engine may have masked the aircraft's sound. Although no air-traffic records confirmed this, the probability of an aircraft was deemed high and the case was reclassified as A.