The confessed "Carolin" before Antioco
The German yacht “Carolin” hit the rocks near Calasett on the island of Antioco off Sardinia. The ship is one of the absolute greats in German sailing, Jörg Diesch, 1976 Olympic champion in the Flying Dutchman with his brother Eckart as the bow. The Kieler confesses that he himself did not pay attention for a moment in a maneuver.
"Carolin" owner Jörg Diesch
After retiring from professional life, the doctor devoted himself intensively to his ship, the gület "Carolin", which is berthed in Göcek, Turkey. The man who used to sweep the regatta as quickly as possible explains the choice of the unusual type of boat as follows: “I don't want to get anywhere quickly any more. I want to enjoy the slow pace. "Almost 20 years ago he saw a gület photo in the YACHT and thought:" That would be it. "Sluggish, but large, comfortable and cozy. The times when speed optimization and close-hauled - Characteristics played a role were long gone. "I finished sailing a regatta a long time ago," says Diesch.
Over the years, the 26 meter long ship from 1997 caused problems. Diesch wanted to take it on a long voyage across the Atlantic, then take a look. But he didn't want to force anything, and when substantial hull and keel difficulties arose, he postponed the plans without resentment and enjoyed more seasons in the Mediterranean. "I'm happy," he said, "I don't want to do anything else."
Olympic champions 1976: Jörg and Eckart Diesch
But this autumn he was drawn to the west. The ship was prepared in Bozborun in September, parts of the planking were renewed and the rudder reinforced. The "Carolin" finally reached Italy via Greece, the Corinth Canal. There, finally, an attempt to anchor at Antioco went fatally wrong. The 65-year-old owner describes the course of the accident as follows: “I didn't look properly at the map while sails, and we hit the ground. There was little wind, but within a few minutes, despite full throttle backwards, the big waves had pushed us far onto the rocky shore, so that we could no longer drag ourselves free. We were lying high and dry with an incline of 40 degrees. The next morning I put out a line to the nearest rocks on land, and we escaped ashore through the high surf. "
Two days later, when the surf subsided, the crew took equipment off board, but some of the valuable items had already disappeared. After an Internet call, the thieves brought back at least two bags with electronic parts.
The ship is a "total loss", says Diesch, who is currently grappling with the Italian bureaucracy. Already reporting the accident to the police devoured countless hours, "hard to believe". And how the recovery should take place is also still unclear. In any case, one of the port authorities' deadlines expired because it was not yet known whether the stranding area was under nature protection, which could prohibit the use of heavy recovery equipment.
Despite the painful loss and the accompanying "sad and desolate thoughts" Diesch is already busy again with "planning for a new ship". He comforts himself like this: "The Sardinians here say: What the sea takes from you, it gives you back."
Note: In an earlier version it was wrongly stated that the accident occurred in preparation for an anchor maneuver.