Experienced lobster fisherman Jim Reid admitted last night that he was annoyed at the MAIB findings.
The 75-year-old said he regretted forgetting his radio, and acknowledged the situation had been worsened by the fact his grandson David Irvine had left his phone onshore.
He said: “I have been at the sea since 1960, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know what to do. Saying I can’t read a compass. I was annoyed.
“David forgot the phone, but everything else we should have took was there. He took his phone out to do something in the car and didn’t put it back.
“I will get a personal locator beacon, I’ll definitely get one of them.”
But the former Black Watch soldier accused the MAIB of not taking into consider how much equipment his boat could actually carry.
He said: “They forget that a 16ft boat can only take so much weight.”
There were tears of joy in Inverbervie as the pair arrived home to a hero’s welcome last year.
People clamoured to hug grandfather Mr Reid and father-of-one Mr Irvine and shake their hands, while horns sounded to mark the return of the men locals thought they would never see again.
The MAIB traced the pair’s journey back during their investigation, which started at 4.30am on May 20, 2014, in thick fog.
“Almost immediately, sight of land was lost,” the report said.
“Unconcerned, the skipper continued out to sea with the intention of using his compass to cross Bervie Bay.”
Mr Reid attempted to head north-west where he expected to see land within the hour.
“He had then lost faith in his compass and started to head in different directions in the hope of finding land,” the report said.
Early the next day, just as the men had “resigned to their fate”, they spotted a trawler.
Last year the pair raised almost £6,500 at a barn dance in Inverbervie for the Stonehaven and Montrose RNLI as a thank you to the men who carried out the search for them.
Mr Reid’s wife, Ina, said: “We were grateful for everything that everyone did, we have tried to re-compensate as much as we can.”