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Happy Ending: Catalyst Righted on North Coast

We’re happy to report that the PDQ 32 catamaran Catalyst, which flipped last week in heavy weather and eventually drifted, upside down, into a reef-fringed North Coast ‘doghole’, has been successfully rescued and righted. She now lies safely at Albion.

"This has to be the sailing miracle of the month, or maybe the year," says North Coast resident Greg Yarman, who was one of the first locals to spot the cat after she drifted into a remote cove adjacent to Saddle Point. "I figure that the mast must have broken in the tall rocks that guard this place. The boat came in upside down, in the only wee place possible, and then they somehow towed it out, over the peaks, and got it back to Albion. Now that’s what I’d call a who’d-a-thought occurance."

A few well-placed air bags and an industrial-strength pump can do wonders.

© Greg Yarman

Kristy is still recovering from her life-theatening ordeal, but has consented to tell us the whole story soon, which we’ll publish in an upcoming edition of Latitude 38. She tells us that despite the severe conditions, the boat was completely in control — with warps trailing behind to keep her from surfing — when Catalyst was hit by a rogue wave, which flipped her. No doubt there are lessons we can all learn from her horrific experience. As posted earlier, she and two male crewmen were rescued July 3 by US Coast Guard resources 20 miles west of Ft. Bragg, while seas were 20 feet and winds were gusting into the 40s.

Voila! If boats could talk, this one would have quite a story to tell. No doubt there’s lots of damage to repair, but considering what this little cruiser went through, it’s amazing that she’s not in much worse condition.

© Greg Yarman

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