A dismasted solo sailor turned down assistance from a freighter in the Atlantic because the cargo ship was going the wrong way! Instead, intrepid yachtsman Matt Gill is struggling to bring Orinoco Flo, a 40ft catamaran to Falmouth from the US under one engine and with only one rudder. During the dismasting a rudder was put out of action and one engine damaged.
The freighter dropped food to the skipper of the catamaran worth £75,500 (US $117,000). The alarm went up when the owner of the cat posted the yacht as being three weeks overdue with Falmouth Coastguard.
The vessel is presently not contactable as she is out of cell phone and email range. She does not have a SAT phone aboard and the EPIRB has not gone off. Her current position is unknown, but four days ago the rendez-vous with the tanker was at position Lat: 46 58 N Long: 018 37 W, about two thirds of the way across.
Courtesy of www.yachtingmonthly.com
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