Sailing boat rescued by the Götheborg
May 5, 2023 9:59 PM Subscribe
Sailing boat rescued by the Götheborg. Imagine losing your rudder out at sea and sending out a distress call. And then the largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship in the world comes to your rescue. Or in the words of the sailors on the sailing boat: "This moment was very strange, and we wondered if we were dreaming. Where were we? What time period was it?"
That must have been amazing.
posted by brundlefly at 12:18 AM on May 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 12:18 AM on May 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
If I'd been the crew of the Götheborg I'd have been so, so tempted, upon receiving this distress call, to put on whatever clothes were reasonably old-timey at hand, and then on meeting the sailboat in distress be like, "ahoy there stranger! this be the year 1875! what strange foreign clothes ye be wearing" etc. etc.
posted by daisystomper at 4:44 AM on May 6, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by daisystomper at 4:44 AM on May 6, 2023 [20 favorites]
This is cool. I used to visit the Götheborg during it's construction and considered signing up for a spell as crew but never got my ducks in a row to make it happen. When it launched it felt like the whole city and all the small craft were there to see it off. My favorite April 1 joke ever was when the local paper announced that the ship's mast was too tall to fit under the Älvsborgsbron bridge and that locals who showed up at a designated time would be provided doughnuts to serve as moveable ballast to get the boat under the bridge to be finished at another wharf. Reportedly hundreds showed up. They were given doughnuts anyway to humor them.
I didn't realize the boat was sailing again, last I'd heard it had lost its seaworthiness certification.
posted by St. Oops at 5:53 AM on May 6, 2023 [12 favorites]
I didn't realize the boat was sailing again, last I'd heard it had lost its seaworthiness certification.
posted by St. Oops at 5:53 AM on May 6, 2023 [12 favorites]
Everyone loves a story like this. I bet the Götheborg crew were grinning their heads off when they figured out they were actually going to be the closest vessel able to respond.
In my time sailing on a tall ship, we've picked up a handful of distress calls, but they've generally been off in the distance and quickly handled by the coastguard/RNLI. Once, we did actually scramble up the rigging to keep a look out for a small motor cruiser that had reportedly gone missing nearby, but it turned out to be a hoax - the boat was later found still tied up safely in the marina.
Reminds me also of that time when passengers on a stranded train was rescued by a passing steam locomotive.
posted by automatronic at 6:28 AM on May 6, 2023 [14 favorites]
In my time sailing on a tall ship, we've picked up a handful of distress calls, but they've generally been off in the distance and quickly handled by the coastguard/RNLI. Once, we did actually scramble up the rigging to keep a look out for a small motor cruiser that had reportedly gone missing nearby, but it turned out to be a hoax - the boat was later found still tied up safely in the marina.
Reminds me also of that time when passengers on a stranded train was rescued by a passing steam locomotive.
posted by automatronic at 6:28 AM on May 6, 2023 [14 favorites]
This is great, thanks for posting it.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:01 AM on May 6, 2023
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:01 AM on May 6, 2023
What a lovely post. Thanks, OP!
posted by Bella Donna at 8:12 AM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Bella Donna at 8:12 AM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
wow
posted by supermedusa at 10:24 AM on May 6, 2023
posted by supermedusa at 10:24 AM on May 6, 2023
Oh gosh, this was just delightful and lifted my mood so much. Thank you for posting it!
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:35 AM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:35 AM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
That’s a time-travel movie pitch right there.
posted by gottabefunky at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gottabefunky at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh wow, that the Götheborg could maneuver close enough to toss a line is pretty amazing.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:52 AM on May 7, 2023
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:52 AM on May 7, 2023
My favorite April 1 joke ever was...
...is now mine, too. By proxy, at the very least.
posted by y2karl at 11:02 AM on May 7, 2023
...is now mine, too. By proxy, at the very least.
posted by y2karl at 11:02 AM on May 7, 2023
Reading up on the ship on the wiki, it turns out it not only has a number of modern amenities (such as the radio mentioned in the article), but also some fairly powerful engines, as well as being redesigned to accommodate sailors several centimeters taller on average than their ancestors.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
The time travel impression is somewhat undermined by the big white radome on the mast and what I think are self-deploying life boats.
Bit of paint so they blend in better would do a lot, though with safety gear you might not be able to.
posted by tigrrrlily at 9:23 PM on May 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Bit of paint so they blend in better would do a lot, though with safety gear you might not be able to.
posted by tigrrrlily at 9:23 PM on May 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
« Older Ethics in Supreme Court Jurisprudence | Scroll to Continue Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by y2karl at 11:57 PM on May 5, 2023 [3 favorites]