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Ambition was supposed to have a great ride overnight from Dominica to Antigua.
Apparently there was another plan in the works for us. At 3am 5 miles off the coast of Les Saintes in Guadeloupe plan B kicked in. We were sailing along between 8 and 10 knots in a 5 foot swell when all of a sudden the boat came to a complete stop. We snagged a substantial fishing net and buoys with the rudder which was jammed over to port (left) side.
A quick check told me this wasn’t something I could fix. Being snagged by the stern, the waves crashed into us making a awful sound.
Called CROSSAG, the French Coast Guard.
They dispatched a rescue boat that arrived an hour later. Quickly surmised that they couldn’t tow us. Now we need to find a diver! Gendarmerie Maritime showed up 90 minutes later with a 75 foot cutter and dropped a diver in the water. Not an easy task as the boat was bouncing up and down in the swells. Finally the netting and floats were cut free but the rudder remained jammed.
Next was the three hour tow to Les Saintes!
Ambition is now tied to a buoy and the divers will show up early tomorrow morning. A huge thank you to CROSSAG, the crew of CETO and the crew of the cutter Laviolette, especially the diver, for all their efforts and skills to get us back to a safe and secure anchorage.
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