Many cruisers who are friends of Rod and Becky Nowlin will be saddened to read this account :-
We have sad news: Mahdi was hit by a Scandlines Ferry at 4 am on
8/24/09 while we were sailing from Sweden to Kiel. We were hit just
outside the port of Puttgarden, Germany on Fehrman Island. We were not
hurt but the boat is a complete loss. The ferry immediately launched a
rescue boat and they came over to us and made sure we were okay and
weren't sinking and then towed us into the port. Two days later Mahdi
started taking on water and was pulled out and sits in the port on a
cradle. We have spent the last week talking with lots of officials and
our lawyer plus working to take all our possessions off the boat. It
was not a fun experience but we were very grateful we didn't get hurt
and neither did our dog, Isis. Now, we are stuck here until things get
sorted out and we can do something to get a replacement. In the
meantime the ferry company has provided us with a car, an apartment and
a place to store our things until we can get them shipped home.
So, now we begin a new life, just not sure what it will be!
Best to all,
Rod & Becky
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Footnote :
For those that don't know Rod & Becky Nowlin, SV Mahdi sailing with SV Gandalf in the Gulf of Aden were attacked by Pirates on the 8th March 2005 - Result = Gandalf rammed : TBoning one pirate's skiff while Rod on SV Mahdi opened fire at another with buckshot from his pump action 12 bore. Result :- Pirates decided they had bitten off more than they could chew, and dispersed.
2 1/2 months earlier MV Mahdi rode out the Great Tsunami in Nai Hahn Bay, Phuket - Thailand on the 26 December 2004.
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If friends, who want to contact Rod and Becky, would like their email address please PM me and I will provide.
Here's a section of chart showing approximately where the Ferry and Mahdi collided near :-
54d 30' N x 11d 15' E