This seems like a suitable post for an overcast Monday morning. In the town of Antirrio in southern Greece, a three-year-old girl climbed aboard a unicorn at the beach. The unicorn’s wings caught the wind and soon the little girl and the unicorn were swept out to sea, where they were rescued by a fairy. No, that last bit isn’t right. The girl and her unicorn were rescued by a ferry, or more specifically, a quick-thinking ferry captain. 

A slightly less fanciful version of the story would be that a three-year-old girl was on an inflatable unicorn “floaty,” meant primarily for pools, but often seen at lakes and ocean beaches. As reported by the New York Times, the wind grabbed hold of both the girl and the inflatable toy before her parents could react. Within moments, she was carried out to sea, adrift and alone, clinging to the unicorn’s neck.

Fortunately, Grigoris Karnesis, a veteran Greek ferryboat captain, spotted the child.

Rescuing a little girl riding an inflatable unicorn required considerable skill. Captain Karnesis was in command of the Salaminomachos, a 331-foot-long ferry with a capacity for 500 passengers and 300 cars. He needed to maneuver the ferry close enough to reach the girl without knocking her off the inflatable toy. He also needed to keep the girl clear of the ferry’s propellers.

Captain Karnesis maneuvered the ferry and with the help of his brother, Vasilis Karnesis, the ship’s engineer, lowered the Ro/Ro ramp and pulled the child aboard. The girl had been adrift for roughly 20 minutes.

The rescue was captured on video by a passenger, Petros Kritsonis, 45, who posted it online on Monday. It quickly caused a sensation, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the captain to thank him and his crew.

Ferry Boat Rescues a Young Girl on Inflatable Unicorn || ViralHog