Rhode Island conservative gubernatorial candidate shipwrecks his yacht during campaign stunt gone awry

A Rhode Island conservative shipwrecked his yacht during a campaign stunt gone awry on Sunday, reports the Providence Journal.

Joe Trillo is a conservative businessman who was a Republican state representative.

Trillo was campaigning over the weekend by flying a large banner from his 65-foot yacht, the Lady M, as he sailed by beaches blaring patriotic music.

But Trillo got too close to shore, running aground and requiring rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Trillo had claimed that he hit an unmarked rock while he was a half-mile from shore, in what should have been 14 feet of water off the Charlestown Breachway. After the mishap he said he wanted to "work with NOAA to update the charts for other boaters."

But witnesses shot video showing he was much closer to the shore than he claimed.

Beachgoer Cheryl Burgess was told Trillo’s version of events by the Providence Journal and disputed them.

“Oh, no no no no. Oh no. Nope,” she said.

Video posted to Twitter showed the boat very close to shore before the crash.