Atlantic 57 Catamaran called Leopard was recovered

[Cotemar]

Beaufort North Carolina — A vessel that capsized more than five months ago was located Wednesday off Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Area fisherman spotted the Atlantic 57 Catamaran called Leopard, roughly 25 miles off the Cape Lookout and alerted authorities.

The vessel, which went down 400 nautical miles north of the Dominican Republic Nov. 21, was recovered by Sea Tow Crystal Coast and brought to Beaufort, NC.

Leopard was en-route from the Chesapeake Bay to St. Maarten at the time of the capsizing.

According to Dana Catapano, with Sea Tow Crystal Coast managing and marketing, a fisherman had spotted the still capsized vessel around 5:30 a.m. and made radio contact with the U.S. Coast Guard.

"One of our captains, Zack Willis, heard the call and after contacting the fishing vessel that had spotted the catamaran to pin point its location, he responded to the vessel on a 33-foot Kodiac to assist if need be," she said. "He didn't know whether there were passengers aboard."

Upon Capt. Willis’ arrival, he determined the vessel was unoccupied and tied off to it.

"He has been towing it all day," Mrs. Catapano said in a phone interview Wednesday.

He was joined by Capt. Cody Catapano, Sea Tow franchise owner, and Capt. Brian Davis to bring in the vessel.

Mrs. Catapano said Capt. Willis began researching the vessel and determined its origin.

"The Coast Guard in Miami was contacted and they in turn contacted the owners," she said.

The insurance company representing the owners were also contacted and hired Sea Tow to recover the vessel.

Mrs. Catapano said the day's recovery effort had been a long and tiring.

"They are now just inside the bight at the Cape,” she told the News-Times around 7:30 p.m. "Capt. Davis has been in the water much of the day trying to attach floats to help right the catamaran."

She said a crane on their tug would a be used to help right the vessel.

"They are in calmer waters now that should make it easier to work," she noted.

According to weather reports, a wind shift could create dangerous ocean conditions on Thursday for the work.

Mrs. Captapano said her research into initial Coast Guard Miami reports shows that the catamaran appeared to have encountered a water spout with sails still up and high winds causing the vessel to flip over back in November.

Three crew members aboard, all experienced sailors, were rescued by a merchant vessel approximately 10 hours after it capsized.

Reports indicate one crew member sustained minor injuries.

She said the crew and others had returned the next day in an attempt to recover the vessel, but an extensive search revealed the catamaran was nowhere to be found.

The vessel was designed by Chris White Designs located in South Dartmouth, Mass.

[pateco]

Wonder how hard it is going to be to right it?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by pateco

Wonder how hard it is going to be to right it?

It will take a pretty big barge and lifting crane to right a 57 foot cat.
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[Magic1st]

Is there any value to it? It was in the drink for over 6 months. Just trying to understand why go through the trouble.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Magic1st

Is there any value to it? It was in the drink for over 6 months. Just trying to understand why go through the trouble.

An Atlantic 57 hull will be worth a few $$ bucks for sure.

I would not want one, as a few of them have flipped so far.

They may start calling them the Flipper 57

Osram VII Design for Righting after Capsize
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[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Magic1st

Is there any value to it? It was in the drink for over 6 months. Just trying to understand why go through the trouble.

Yeah, me too...

[Little Otter]

I seem to remember another one capsizing off the coast of Tonga a while back, as much as I like the design these incidents aren't inspiring a whole lot of confidence. I also remember a Gunboat 62 (I think it was a 62, could be off on the model but definitely a Gunboat) that was abandoned in a storm off the coast of N.C. around Hatteras in a winter storm and it turned up a couple times before it was finally towed into port but even after being completely abandoned through several storms for I think about a year it was found right-side up but missing the salon structure and full of water.

Cotemar, do you know if that system was ever tried? And if so how successful was it?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Little Otter

I seem to remember another one capsizing off the coast of Tonga a while back, as much as I like the design these incidents aren't inspiring a whole lot of confidence. I also remember a Gunboat 62 (I think it was a 62, could be off on the model but definitely a Gunboat) that was abandoned in a storm off the coast of N.C. around Hatteras in a winter storm and it turned up a couple times before it was finally towed into port but even after being completely abandoned through several storms for I think about a year it was found right-side up but missing the salon structure and full of water.

Cotemar, do you know if that system was ever tried? And if so how successful was it?

That flip over method was a success, but in reverse of that picture.

Pull the bows over the stern worked in a YouTube video of a Catamaran re-flip that I had seen.

Apparently more water resistance on the sugar scoops helped re-flip it.

[whatknot]

Originally Posted by Little Otter

I seem to remember another one capsizing off the coast of Tonga a while back, as much as I like the design these incidents aren't inspiring a whole lot of confidence. I also remember a Gunboat 62 (I think it was a 62, could be off on the model but definitely a Gunboat) that was abandoned in a storm off the coast of N.C. around Hatteras in a winter storm and it turned up a couple times before it was finally towed into port but even after being completely abandoned through several storms for I think about a year it was found right-side up but missing the salon structure and full of water.

Cotemar, do you know if that system was ever tried? And if so how successful was it?

I remember reading about that Gunboat on here not too long ago and seeing pics of it. Puts things into perspective when a boat that size gets lost for a year.

[Little Otter]

Cotemar, you wouldn't happen to remember what the name of the video was do you, I'm having trouble finding it. and am I wrong in thinking that that would kill all the house batteries and diesels? I mean a right side up boat with a mast and no engines is better than an upside down boat with neither but i'm curious if they would be ok after a short submergence and subsequent bailing out.

Whatknot, I agree, whats even more amazing is that they found either of them! what with currents and weather patterns being what they are they could have easily ended up floating in circles in the middle of the ocean.

[Cottontop]

Leopard was built at Aquidneck (Newport). It was trying to get home.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Little Otter

Cotemar, you wouldn't happen to remember what the name of the video was do you, I'm having trouble finding it. and am I wrong in thinking that that would kill all the house batteries and diesels? I mean a right side up boat with a mast and no engines is better than an upside down boat with neither but i'm curious if they would be ok after a short submergence and subsequent bailing out.

Whatknot, I agree, whats even more amazing is that they found either of them! what with currents and weather patterns being what they are they could have easily ended up floating in circles in the middle of the ocean.

Here is the Catamaran Bow up re-flip I was looking at.

If the boat was re-flipped in a few weeks the engines would be good, but the batteries would most likely not be any good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-auYNrb6udo

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[Little Otter]

Thanks for posting that video Cotemar, I wonder what the feasibility of doing this at sea would be if a ship happened to find you. definitely don't want to find out but it's an interesting idea.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Little Otter

Thanks for posting that video Cotemar, I wonder what the feasibility of doing this at sea would be if a ship happened to find you. definitely don't want to find out but it's an interesting idea.

Unfortunately under the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) the only requirement is the safety of human life.

This almost always happens in very rough seas where it is very hard to even get the crew off the boat let alone trying to re-right a boat.

Once the boat crew is safely on the large ship they are done and the ship keeps going to the ships original destination or the closest landfall if medical assistance is needed.

[mikereed100]

It will need new everything, but the structure, hatches, steering etc. should be fine. Looks like the sterns got banged up, maybe during salvage. Not a difficult repair. The thing is floating so high the engines, or at least the saildrives, may even be salvageable. I expect we will see this boat sailing again someday.