Crew on board a yacht travelling the Northwest Passage got some unexpected rescue practice when nearby fishing boats became unmoored in high winds.
Crew on board a yacht in northern Canada came to the rescue, saving two fishing boats that had become unmoored in high winds.
Crew of M/Y Shinkai went into rescue mode when they saw the unmoored boats on Arctic Bay, according to the Nunatsiaq News. The megayacht had been making its way through the Canadian Arctic for more than a week, but had stopped in the bay for a couple days due to the weather, which included winds up to 55 knots.
Captain Marcus Desaunois told the News that the Shinkai has a rescue boat ready at all times, and when crew say the boats drifting towards them, they sprung into action.
“So the boys straight away jumped into action, got on their safety gear and dropped the [rescue] boat,” he told the newspaper.
They had already returned the first boat to locals when the second one broke loose. When they got to that one, they found the keys in the ignition. So they piloted it back to shore, where the owners were waiting.
“They were very happy we brought it back. It was a small gesture,” Desaunois told the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, the yacht had been the subject of rumors earlier in its journey when it was spotted off Iqaluit in Frobisher Bay. There, according to the newspaper, some locals mistook it for M/Y Ragnar, a vessel owned by ex-KGB officer and Russian oligarch Vladimir Strzhalkovsky.
In the interview, Desaunois said it had been mistaken for the Ragnar the previous year in Norway as well. He declined to say who the owner is. He did say the vessel was making its way through the Northwest Passage with an onboard sub that would study the flora and fauna, and that they planned to stop in Alaska.
Is the Northwest Passage on your bucket list? Read what Chief Officer Rob MacDonnell had to say about it.
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