APL ship rescues yachting family

APL ship rescues yachting family    A family of four whose yacht was floundering in 15-foot Atlantic swells 1,600 miles off the U.S. East Coast earlier this week, arrived safely in the Port of New York and New Jersey Thursday on the APL ship that rescued them.
   Capt. Parvez Guard received a shipboard commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard shortly after berthing the 906-foot APL Japan — renamed the Hyundai Japan while on long-term charter — at New York Container Terminal and releasing his grateful passengers for a return to their native Germany.

A family of four was rescued from this 35-foot yacht by the crew of the APL Japan, renamed the Hyundai Japan on charter.

   The containership rescued the family of four — including children ages 5 and 18 months — from a stricken yacht on Monday.
   “They were quite shaken up, but they were fine,” said Guard, a 28-year veteran of Singapore-based APL.
   According to the ship’s master, the rescued family was in good condition and scheduled to meet with U.S. immigration officials.
   The four were en route from Antigua in the West Indies to the Azores — a distance of about 2,500 miles — in their newly purchased 35-foot yacht when they were caught in a nighttime gale on June 8. The boat lost its rudder and mast and was trapped in heavy seas without the ability to maneuver.
   At about 3:30 a.m. June 9, the APL vessel received a distress call from the boat, then about 10 nautical miles away. Guard mustered his entire crew to prepare for emergency operations and notified the stricken sailboat that help was on the way.
   “They were in dire straits, so I said, ‘I’m coming,’ ” explained the captain.
   Little more than an hour after first radio contact, Guard navigated his massive containership alongside the Dally On. It took three tries, but the APL crew was finally able to lash the yacht to the stern of their vessel.
   Thirty-seven-year-old crewmember Anthony Gomez-Stalin then scrambled down a pilot’s ladder from the APL ship to the yacht. He snatched the 18-month-old infant in his arm and carried her up the ladder to safety. The other family members followed one after the other until all four were aboard the APL vessel safe and unhurt.