The sailing superyacht KAORI came to the aid of a small sailing yacht in distress off Hobart, Tasmania, Australia the Mercury reported yesterday. The 38.1 meter Palmer Johnson S/Y Kaori left Hobart at 6am yesterday, where she has been admired by locals since she arrived on January 13, but took an unexpected detour in response to a mayday distress call sent by a far smaller yacht near Tasman Island at about 10.45am.
Kaori’s captain, Johan Raubenheimer, said of the smaller vessel called Lazy Daze that “they were overwhelmed by conditions” and that, with three persons on board, th boat was struggling in strong winds and that another (commercial) vessel was first on the scene. However, after establishing radio contact, the Kaori crew agreed to help the stricken boats and shepherded Lazy Days back to the safety of Fortescue Bay.
After the episode both yachts anchored in Fortescue Bay last night and the Lazy Daze sailors were invited aboard the luxurious Kaori for a hot meal. Sailing yacht Kaori is scheduled to restart her voyage across the Tasman Ocean to New Zealand today.