First pictures of French sailor with kitten tucked under his sweater
by Julian Robinson on 24 Oct 2015
Dramatic leap - Manu Wattecamps jumping across from his boat onto the ice breaker Tor Viking - with his cat inside his coat Julian Robinson
These are the first pictures of a sailor and his cat just days after he jumped to safety from his battered yacht off Alaska with the animal tucked under his sweater.
Manu Wattecamps, from Brittany in France, is pictured on the ice breaker Tor Viking with his kitten 'Pipalup' after being rescued during his voyage from Alaska to San Diego.
Dramatic footage taken by Coast Guards showed the 28-year-old clinging on to the rigging pole at the bow of his stricken boat, riding wave after wave a few feet from the hull of the support ship.
Seconds later, Mr Wattecamps jumped over the railing of the giant vessel - with his black and white cat tucked in his clothing - as his yacht rocked sideways in the high seas.
The footage was taken from a C-130 Hercules airplane monitoring the rescue. Petty Officer Lauren Steenson in Kodiak said the sailboat was named La Chimere.
Mr Wattecamps, who was sailing from Dutch Harbor to San Diego when his vessel was hit by a huge wave, told friends on Facebook that his beloved boat was 'lost'.
'Now I'm a captain without a ship,' he said. 'I have got nothing, my whole life was on my boat. I feel like a footballer who just lost a leg. Useless and without purpose.'
He didn't mention that at least he still has his cat - who was unharmed during the incident.
In a written description of his ordeal, the lone traveller said his boat flipped over in the middle of the night after being struck by a massive wave. When it turned back over, the cabin was filled with water.
The 28-year-old then activated a location beacon Tuesday about 400 miles south of Cold Bay, Alaska. The C-130 was dispatched to assess the situation.
Describing the rescue, Tor Viking's captain said: 'Emmanuel and his cat wasn’t harmed in any way, they are both doing well.
'We had sent over a harness and a messenger line, before landing the yacht alongside.
'It was agreed that Emmanuel should use the rigged entering ladder, but he took the opportunity when it was there, and got off the yacht.
'My boat was hit by the kind of wave that destroys all in its path'.
Emmanuel Wattecamps had set off in his yacht La Chimere on October 15 on a voyage from Dutch Harbor in Alaska to San Diego, California.
After running by engine for two days due to light winds, the 28-year-old described how conditions gradually deteriorated until it was so bad he could no longer use auto pilot.
He was forced to take his sails down amid fierce gusts and used a sea anchor to keep the boat stable.
However, the anchor broke in the middle of the night and he had to replace it with an improvised version.
'During the night, suddenly, I had a big and powerful wave hitting the boat, so much bigger than the rest of the waves.
That was the kind of lonely wave just destroy everything in their way. Directly and powerfully the boat flipped upside down and went back in the right position - but she had a lot of water inside. Everything was in a big mess.
'The electric system took water as well, and when I was touching the aluminium hull of the boat I felt some electric shock.
Everything was in an indescribable mess inside, my computers, charts and other sailing equipment was totally into the water, the compass broken, the GPS saying strange information sometimes, actually nothing was able to keep going safety at sea.'
With his engine broken and the electrics not working and his rudder making a 'frightening' noise he turned on an emergency signal.
About four hours later he had a radio call from an aircraft of the US Coast Guard who in turn alerted the ice breaker Tor Viking.
'When the ship was on me, the captain found the way to get close to me, despite the sea which was still big enough to give him some difficulties. After a few attempts, coordinating with a good maneuverability from the captain, very quickly I found the right timing to jump on board without falling in the water.
'I want to thank sincerely all the US Coast Guards who took part in the rescue, directly or not, because they did a great job and I am still in life and in a safe condition because of that.'
'If he should have slipped and fallen into the sea, we did have him in the messenger line and harness, able to heave him on board.'
The airplane crew made radio contact with the mariner, who reported his 30-foot sailboat lost its rudder and rigging in heavy seas and 46-mph winds.
'With the 20-foot seas, his boat is getting pretty well thrown around,' she said.
He had no control, and the boat was 'pretty much dead in the water,' adrift in high seas.
The Coast Guard made contact with the Polar Pioneer, which is an oil drilling vessel used by Royal Dutch Shell off Alaska's northwest coast this summer.
The ship and support vessels were nearby as they make their way back to Port Angeles, Washington.
The Polar Pioneer sent a support ship, the Tor Viking, to rescue the sailor.
Steenson said the pilot of the C-130 told her the sailor placed his cat inside either his sweater or coat before making the leap.
Once Mr Wattecamps was safely aboard the Tor Viking, the Coast Guard marked the position of the sailboat for future reference.
He wrote: 'I want to thank sincerely all the US Coast Guards who took part in the rescue, directly or not, because they did a great job and I am still in life and in a safe condition because of that.'
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