Two yachts got tangled in fishing gear last week on the first leg of the ARC+ rally, causing a skipper and crew to dive overboard in the Atlantic. 

Kristian Hægeland, skipper of Najad 520 Christina, was about to say goodnight to his children, Synne (10) and Iver (12), when he noticed what looked like ‘a veil’ in the ocean, recounts crewmember, Bjørn Ander: 

“When he shone a light into the water, something long and ghostly trailed behind the vessel. After some effort, we managed to grab hold of the end of the veil and it turned out to be a massive fishing net.” 

The long net that fouled the keel, prop and rudder on ARC+ yacht Christina. Credit: Bjørn Ander

Further investigation, with a GoPro and flashlight attached to a boathook, revealed the net had disabled both the rudder and the propeller. Christina was drifting, and without the ability to steer, being hit side-on by waves. Kristian raised the alert and learned that Nauticat 43 Frenesi, another yacht taking part in the transatlantic rally, was just an hour and a half away.

Meanwhile Kristian and his wife Tone, together with Bjørn and crew Sebastian, got to work trying to recover the net. Whilst they weren’t able to get it onboard, they managed to free it from the rudder and secure the net to the bow, out of harm’s way. 

“After hours of hard work, to our immense relief the camera revealed the rudder was clear,” recalls Bjørn. “The crew felt a renewed sense of possibility and optimism.” 

However, in the dark and with big seas, there was nothing that could be done immediately to ease the passage. 

Back in action

With her rudder back in action, Christina continued to sail towards Cape Verde, a scheduled stop on the ARC+ rally. Frenesi’s skipper, Martin Hakansson, a commercial pilot, had diving gear onboard, and offered to try to free the rope when conditions allowed. 

The seas were finally calm enough for the men to go in the water. Credit Bjørn Ander

For two days, the Swedish boats sailed slowly west, with Christina – a heavy boat in light winds – hampered by the fishing net’s drag. When the wind and seas were calm enough to allow Martin to dive, the boats hove-to and put out their sea anchors. Using a paddleboard and a long line with a fender attached to the boat, Martin and a crewmember cut the net with a Leatherman knife.

Christina was free … but the following day Frenesi picked up a net! For the second time during the voyage, Martin had to dive overboard but luckily was able to free the rope. 

Overboard in the Atlantic

It’s not the first time PBO has known a skipper dive overboard in the Atlantic. In 2020 we met ARC participant Jarmo Lohikari, who dived off the stern of his Hans Groop EA to free the jammed rudder. 

The Haegeland family with crew and freinds relaxing onboard Christina in Cape Verde. Credit: Ali Wood

Despite the ordeal, the two crews arrived in Marina Mindelo, Cape Verde, happy and well rested. However, in an unrelated issue, Martin discovered Frenesi’s mast was wobbly. He sought advice from Gilson Maocha, an engineer from boatCV, who prepared a new mast wedge for the keel-steeped rig. 

Whilst picking up a net is extremely rare in the Atlantic ocean, breakages from fatigue – both to the boat and through crew error – are common. If it’s a windy crossing the team at boatCV tend to deal with rig issues – such as the new boom required for Blair Wallace’s Ovni 370 Silver Moon. If it’s a calmer crossing, as was the case with this year’s ARC+ rally, engine repairs are common.

A boatCV engineer explains how the mast wedge will work on Frenesi. Credit: Ali Wood

boatCV started life as a small enterprise over 30 years ago by German sailing instructor Kai Brossmann. It now operates a chandlery and workshop in Mindelo, where the staff work tirelessly to turn around broken yachts during ‘high season’ of November to January. There are over 6,000 items in stock, from shackles to electronics and dinghies, and the team can fabricate parts on-site. 

Starlink internet

Another solution, made easier by Starlink’s high speed internet, is for boat owners to contact their manufacturer’s after-sales team, who may even fly out to Cape Verde with parts. This was the case for Norwegian skipper Atle Loge, who damaged the bowsprit on his Outremer 51 Atlas.

In last year’s ARC+, where yacht Hilma was dismasted, crews experienced a range of breakages at sea. UK couple Claire and Malcolm Wallace learnt a tough lesson when using electric winches for the first time on passage, and managed to snap the forestay on their Discovery 58, Aqualuna. However, thanks to Starlink, they were able to get a new one delivered before they reached the pontoon in Mindelo. Kai’s team, who Claire described as ‘incredible’ managed to strip down the rig, salvage what they could and put it back together in time for the couple to do the second leg of the ARC+ rally to Grenada.

Hundreds of repairs

boatCV has dealt with hundreds of repairs in the past week – everything from toilet seats to furlers and autopilots – and Kai expects all 94 yachts to be ready to depart tomorrow on their passage to Grenada, which is expected to take 12 to 16 days.

A big shout-out also goes to the World Cruising Club team who, alongside organising the prizegiving and assisting yachts, had to check in and out 430 crew passports. 

We’ll be chatting more to Kai about repairs in a future edition of PBO. Look out for the March 25 edition for expert tips on how to free fouled props.

Follow Bjorn’s adventures on Instagram @bjornander.no and SV Christina’s @sailingchristina