Sunda

The 'Sunda' rescued a French family, their beloved dog, and a Portuguese skipper from a sailboat which was stranded in the Atlantic during a storm on Jan 10, 2020. Specifically, Captain Versic, two other Croatian sailors, and a Filipino crew were involved in the rescue. The action concerning the first deck officer Ivan Moro from Sinj and the second deck officer Sasa Katavic from Kastela was carried after the 'Sunda' was informed that a sailboat had suffered an an engine malfunction. Through VHF radio it was found out that everything was fine with the crew of four, only they were tired. It was agreed to delay the rescue for the next morning due to inclement weather and nightfall. Shortly after that, the bulkcarrier made the first visual contact with the boat and remained nearby all night in case of an emergency. The next morning, due to bad weather, the crew was forced to interrupt the rescue operation five times, but consistently looked for the most suitable course to get closer to the sailboat in the safest possible way. The waves were four meters high. The ship managed to stop close enough to the boat to give them a 'Line Throwing App' and slowly, around 3.05 p.m. they made it next to the vessel which was kept there for ten minutes until the crew was moved to the ship. Both mother, father, son (16), French bulldog Pascha and skipper were fine. For six days, they sailed aboard the 'Sunda' to Brazil and disembarked them at the port of Macapa before the vessel sailed Amazon River upstream and berthed in Santarem on Jan 17. Reports with photos: https://m.24sata.hr/news/hrvati-su-na-atlantiku-spasili-obitelj-jedrilicara-i-buldoga-671135 https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/40910-croatian-sailors