Photo: Hajo Olij

The Dutch merchant sailing ship, Tres Hombres, rescued a 70 year old German sailor who had been adrift in the Atlantic for two weeks after the rudder broke on his sailboat, Fidel.  The German sailor was exhausted and dehydrated and was incapable of taking the tow line, so one of the Tres Hombres‘ fifteen member crew swam the line across to the disable sailboat.  Tres Hombres took the sailboat under tow bound for Barbados and should arrive in a  day or two. As the Tres Hombres has no engine, it is serving as a very unusual tugboat. The German sailor asked Tres Hombres’ Captain Van der Veen what the cost would be for the tow. Captain Van der Veen is reported to have replied that, “a beer in the Caribbean would be sufficient.”  To read more, read the ship’s log:

Tres Hombres saves rudderless sailing on the Atlantic ocean by Leo trainee

The 32 meter brigantine Tres Hombres, in service since December 2009, maintains a sustainable freight service between: Europe, the Atlantic islands, the Caribbean and America. In addition to a 35 ton cargo capacity, she has accommodations for 5 crew members and 10 trainees / passengers.

See also: Carrier rescues exhausted German