At night 29 bm. during the last stage of sea trials in the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk, the multi-purpose ship Zodiac II responded to the call of the immobilized yacht ‘Kacyk’.
Zodiac II, being in a short distance from the endangered yacht, took the call and appeared in the indicated place first.
An unusual and previously unplanned event took place during the last stage of the sea trials of the Zodiac II multi-purpose vessel, one of the two ships under construction at the Remontowa Shipbuilding for Polish Maritime Offices. At first, the hull leakage and the water intake in the bilge, which could not be mastered by the yacht’s crew, were reported, and a moment later another problem related to the loss of propulsion and thus steering.
The harbourmaster, who coordinated the crew’s actions, ordered the unit to illuminate the yacht in danger and to protect it from strong winds. Within the next few minutes, a SAR Marine Rescue Service unit appeared on the spot with a specialized crew, which took action to protect the crew and the yacht. It is worth adding that it was the SAR 3000 rescue vessel “Storm”, built in 2011 at Remontowa Shipbuilding, currently deployed in the Maritime Rescue Station in Hel at the Gdansk Bay.
Zodiac II finished its tasks before 2 o’clock at night. Completed tests once again confirmed all the previous performance of the unit in terms of manoeuvrability and maritime bravery, allowing for a very precise and safe approach to the threatened object.