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When the accident happened, Sofia Heller was in command.
– It was very fast. The cable exploded and you barely had time to think. What we did then was get everyone on board together to see that everyone was there and unharmed, he says.
The Swedish Cruiser Club’s school ship, the Gratitude, took part in a boat meeting in the southern archipelago on Saturday. The ship had turned inside the Thistles and was heading north through the southern archipelago, east of Donsö. It blew for about ten seconds, according to Sofia Heller. Gratitude crossed the wind on the port necks.
Sofia Heller, helmsman of Gratitude. Photo: Private
– We had sailed most of the way, we had lowered some sails, but we were still quite up. We were quite stable in the course we were going to do. Then it crashed. What we now know is that the top tie, which runs from the deck to the top of the mainmast, fell off. As a result, the neck also broke, says Sofia Heller.
Sail on the lake
When the crew realized that no one was injured, Gratitude started the engine to shelter from the wind and then dropped anchor. The top of the mast never fell off, but remained in the rig with other gloves and stays. But after the mast broke, some sails ended up at sea.
– What ended up in the water was still stuck in the boat so we could handle it carefully, says Sofia Heller.
The Gratitude is one of the three Swedish Cruiser Club training ships. The boats are used during the summers for sailing courses and sailing camps, generally for children and young people. This weekend, however, the crew consisted of trained boatmen, who work voluntarily for the Cruiser Club.
The last sailing of the season
This weekend’s boat meeting was the last scheduled outing of the season for Gratitude. After the accident, the ship was able to reach Nya Varvet, which is Gratitude’s home port. Now the focus will be on seeing how extensive the mast and deck damage is, repairing it and preparing the boat for winter storage, according to Jerker Paulusson, president of the Cruiser Club’s sailing school. In any case, it is clear that Gratitude needs a new major suit.
– We will investigate this carefully. We still have the rig disassembled every winter. Right now I’m very happy that no one was hurt, says Jerker Paulusson.
During Saturday night, the ship’s crew also had a briefing to discuss the incident.
From Donsö you could see how the Gratitude was anchored after the neck broke. Image: reader image
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