VIVIERAE II UPDATE: It’s a happy ending to the story of Nordhavn 96 VivieRae II which was left stranded in the Arafura Sea March 6^th after line tangled and fouled the props which seized the engines. Extreme weather forced the evacuation of the crew, who set the anchor prior to jumping onto a tanker that happened upon the distressed VivieRae II a week ago. On Tuesday afternoon, owner Bob Giles and VR’s crew climbed aboard a support vessel out of Indonesia which found the N96 secured to her anchor exactly as they had left her, no obvious signs of distress other than the marks left by the assisting tanker resulting from unsuccessful attempts to get a tow line to VR. Waves measuring 13 feet combined with 55 kt wind gusts knocked the 190 M tanker into the side of VivieRae leaving a few scrapes, but nothing structurally major. “It’s quite superficial damage when you consider what a 190-meter tanker could have done to that yacht,” said ESysman SuperYachts reporting on the rescue.  A dive underneath revealed the props of both engines fouled: one by the line of their 36’ tender they were towing and one wrapped in fishing line the crew had unknowingly come in contact with. The boat, under its own propulsion, is enroute to Brisbane, Australia to have repairs done to the cosmetic damage before it continues on its journey west. “Fortunately no one was hurt and Nordhavn builds a very strong vessel,” Giles wrote on Instagram.

Incidentally, the Australian Navy happened upon the 36’ Metal Shark tender VivieRae II had been towing – some 230 miles away from where it had broken free. They were able to hook a line up to it and reunite with its mothership.