North Sea rescue: Catamaran towed to Hooksiel after mast failure

A sailing couple traveling from Scandinavia to Portugal was rescued in the North Sea after their approximately ten-meter catamaran suffered a mast failure on Friday evening. The incident occurred roughly nine nautical miles north of the island of Wangerooge.

The distress situation began around 17:30 when a weak ‘Mayday’ call, lacking specific vessel identification or coordinates, was received by Bremen Rescue Radio. The location was identified after the crew of another sailing yacht reported spotting the disabled catamaran nearby.

Rescue operations involved the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) cruiser BERNHARD GRUBEN, its daughter boat JOHANN FIDI, and a Federal Police vessel, the Bad Düben. Upon arrival, rescuers found the skipper suffering from severe seasickness due to the vessel's uncontrolled movement in the swell. The skipper was transferred to the police vessel for medical attention. To facilitate towing, the broken mast, sails, and rigging were detached. The vessel was successfully towed to the port of Hooksiel later that evening.