The iPad is undoubtedly a versatile device, but there's no getting around the fact that Apple's tablet has its fair share of limitations. A few months back, a U.K. sailor named David Carlin learned this the hard way after deciding it might be a good idea to navigate a 50-foot World War II boat he was steering via his trusty iPad.

Things started out smoothly enough, but as relayed via a recent report in the Metro, navigation became tricky if not downright impossible once Carlin's iPad dropped its Wi-Fi signal.

From there, a series of errors ensued as Carlin's boat, completely devoid of direction, blindly entered the U.K.'s busiest shipping lane where it promptly crashed into a cargo ferry. From there, Carlin's boat was a goner and began to sink. Ultimately, Carlin had to make a Mayday call and wait for rescuers to help him out.

Thankfully, no one was injured in the entire ordeal. Carlin, though, did take a hit to his bank account, as he was slapped with a $3,700 fine. Maybe next time Carlin might want to make sure he has an LTE-equipped iPad before setting sail on the high seas.

As a quick aside, it's worth noting that iPad sales are still plummeting. During the company's most recent holiday quarter, for example, sales of Apple's venerable tablet dropped by nearly 20 percent year over year. Clearly, the post-PC era championed by Tim Cook has yet to become a reality.

Looking ahead, Apple expected to announce a trio of new iPads during a special event set for March.