By Tim Binnall
An American tourist at Loch Ness has been credited with the first official 'monster' sighting of the year after spotting a sizeable anomaly that emerged from the water near his boat. The rather remarkable close encounter with the creature occurred on the morning of March 1st as Tony Inhorn was visiting the iconic Scottish site from the United States. Sharing his account with the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, he explained that "near the opening for the Caledonian Canal, I saw the dark-greenish gray body of what appeared to be Nessie emerge from the water."
Amazingly, the incredibly fortunate witness indicated that the creature "was about 15 feet from the boat I was on," which allowed for a fairly clear view of the 'monster.' To that end, Inhorn theorized," based on its movement and proportions," that he observed either the back or side of the suspected Nessie "at a 45 degree angle." During the approximately five-second-long sighting, the witness recalled, the creature "came about two feet out of the water, "seemingly showing 5 to 10 feet of its body, before ultimately submerging back into the murky waters of Loch Ness.
Looking back on the sighting, Inhorn noted that the suspected Nessie "emerged against the chop of the surf, but appeared clearly defined against the waves, leading me to believe it wasn't just the current." It was that suspicion that compelled him to share his story and a sketch of the creature (seen here) with the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. Finding Inhorn's account to be credible, the organization subsequently recognized the March 1st encounter as the first official sighting of the year.