It was an unusual and difficult action. Just after the first leg of The Tall Ships Races 2023 was officially over, on the high seas the German barque Alexander von Humboldt 2 supported the British yacht Jolie Brise in a crisis situation. See the photos.
Krzysztof Romański, 17.07.2023
At around 1.30 AM on 6 July, the watch officer of the German barque Alexander von Humboldt 2 received a message from the yacht Jolie Brise. The British were in a difficult situation. They had withdrawn from the first lego of the Tall Ships Races 2023 due to harsh weather, and after several days of battling the North Sea storm, they ran out of fuel. It was clear that without the running engine, they would not be able to reach Hartlepool before the start of the tall ship festival held there.
Informed of everything, the captain of the Alexander von Humboldt 2, Tilman Hebekus, did not hesitate to rush to their aid. The rendezvous of the two vessels was set for 5.30 a.m. It took place in the North Sea, more than 60 miles from the destiantion port (coordinates: 54°51’N 0°18’E). How the fuel was to be transferred remained an open question. The sea was choppy, its state oscillated between four and five, the wind speed reached 18 knots.
‚We considered several solutions,’ reports Richard Tefsen, officer of Alexander von Humboldt 2. ‚We could have launched our boat, but we only have one boat at the moment, so if something happened to it, if it capsized, we would have no other way to help the people in the water. We could not take that risk. In this sea state, it was also risky to stand side to side, as there is a significant height difference between the two vessels. So we chose the third option. The only risk here was actually losing the cargo,’ says Richard Tefsen.
The idea was to get the two vessels within 10 metres of each other, align their courses and sail in the same direction at the same speed of four knots. Then a line was passed from the deck of the three-masted ship to the Jolie Brise. A rope bridge was established between the vessels and fuel canisters – 120 litres in total – were successively passed over.
The commanding officer of the German barque had served in the navy in the past.
‚Many times we have transferred fuel, supplies or correspondence between ships in this way. It is a standard manoeuvre on NATO vessels,’ explains Tilman Hebekus.
The whole operation lasted more than 10 minutes. Then the two ships greeted each other with sirens and each set off at their own pace towards Hartlepool. The watch officer of Alexander von Humboldt 2 over the radio received congratulations on a smooth operation:
– ‚We are glad that you are in good condition and that we were able to help,’ replied the German modestly. I think we deserved a beer – he added with a smile.
– A beer? A whole crate of beer! See you in the pub,” concluded Chris Rose, skipper of Jolie Brise. The 23-metre gaff cutter has an interesting history. Suffice it to say that, built in 1913 in Le Havre, the yacht is the first vessel to triumph in the famous Fastnet Race, which took place in 1925.
It is worth mentioning that this was not the only relief action performed during the first leg of The Tall Ships Races 2023, which only 13 vessels finished on time. Most withdrew, looking for ways to bypass or wait out the dire conditions that prevailed in the North Sea. Another British yacht, Ocean Scout, required support due to engine trouble. She was towed by the Dutch top-sail schooner Gulden Leeuw, which, in order to assist, quit the race. At an award giving ceremony in Hartlepool, the Dutch took home a special trophy – the Great Seamanship Award. From the stage, Robin Snouck Hurgronje also thanked the German sailors of Alexander von Humboldt 2 for giving Jolie Brise fuel.
Krzysztof Romański
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