A rescued catamaran
04/17/2012 23:30 by Thorsten Böhnke
How do you catch a 14-meter catamaran that has broken free? Simple – with a kayak.
We didn't have much time to think yesterday when a 44-foot catamaran rubbed shoulders with our “Corinthian”. First we checked our position – and determined that the catamaran, together with the mooring buoy to which it was attached, had become a stray "cat". As the “Corinthian” was well secured with two anchors, we quickly put our kayak into the water. Armed with two long ropes, we set off in pursuit of the runaway. Laura jumped on board and fixed a line to one of the stern clamps, while I attached the other rope to the last buoy before the open ocean. In moments like these, ropes usually get tangled or are one meter too short. Luckily not this time. Everything fit to a T. With one meter of rope in reserve, I could tie the cat to the buoy. We were able to contact the owner of the boat by VHF radio. He quickly returned to his boat, overjoyed to find her safely moored and to be able to fix her properly in her new location.