Imagine losing your rudder out at sea and sending out a distress call. And then the largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship in the world comes to your rescue. […] To our knowledge it is the first time that an east indiaman, and the first time for Götheborg, to engage in such a rescue.
Tuesday last week, the 25th of April [2023], Götheborg of Sweden was heading for the upcoming portstop in Jersey. Just after 4pm, a distress call was sent by the MRCC regarding a sailing vessel that had lost its rudder and was drifting. Being the closest ship to the sailing boat, Götheborg answered the call. The sailing boat was towed after the Götheborg during the night from the 25th to the 26th of April. In the morning the 26th of April, a French search and rescue boat from the port of Paimpol came and met up off the French coast.
Text from the sailors on the sailing vessel Corto:
On April 25th at 01:00, we left Cherbourg and set sail for Camaret (the tip of Brittany). We are two experienced sailors on board (Simon and me) with the objective of bringing the boat to Southern Brittany.
At 15:30, we were at sea, more than 50 nautical miles from the coast, when our rudder broke. After sending a PAN-PAN call on the VHF radio, the three-masted sailboat Götheborg quickly responded to our call, offering to tow us to Paimpol (France).
We repeatedly emphasized that we were aboard a small 8-meter sailboat, but the response was the same each time: “We are a 50-meter three-masted sailboat, and we offer our assistance in towing you to Paimpol.” We were perplexed by the size difference between our two boats, as we feared being towed by a boat that was too large and at too fast a speed that could damage our boat.
The arrival of the Götheborg on the scene was rapid and surprising, as we did not expect to see a merchant ship from the East India Company of the XVIII century. This moment was very strange, and we wondered if we were dreaming. Where were we? What time period was it? The Götheborg approached very close to us to throw the line and pass a large rope. The mooring went well, and our destinies were linked for very long hours, during which we shared the same radio frequency to communicate with each other.
The crew of the Götheborg showed great professionalism and kindness towards us. They adapted their speed to the size of our boat and the weather conditions. We felt accompanied by very professional sailors. Every hour, the officer on duty of the Götheborg called us to ensure everything was going well.
The next day, as we approached the French coast, we radioed for another boat to help us enter the port, but no one responded positively. Around noon, the Götheborg approached us as closely as possible and stayed by our side until the arrival of a French rescue boat to ensure that everything would go well for us before letting us go.
This adventure, very real, was an incredible experience for us. We were extremely lucky to cross paths with the Götheborg by chance and especially to meet such a caring crew.
Dear commander and crew of the Götheborg, your kindness, and generosity have shown that your ship is much more than just a boat. It embodies the noblest values of the sea, and we are honored to have had the chance to cross your path and benefit from your help.
We thank you again for everything you have done for us.
Cool, so Judy just casually has… uhhh.. lemme see here… 29 lightning rods that she can heal/teleport to her??
Either that or she turned into energy and ran super fast and brought them all there but… idk man. I think Judy just has 29 lightning rods and I love that for her.
As someone new to the flashfam, what exactly is a lightning rid in this context? I can gather that it’s probably some sort of connection a speedster has with someone else, but I think there’s probably more to it than that.
A lightning rod is someone that a speedster loves enough to leave heaven for. Literally. When speedsters channel large amounts of energy they are at risk of going into the speedforce (the source of their energy and heaven for speedsters). A lightning rod keeps them grounded, reminds them that they have more to live for and that they aren’t done yet.
Additionally, speedsters grant extra ‘perks’ to their lightning rods (either consciously or unconsciously) like slow/nonexistent aging, healing them and teleporting them to the speedster or teleporting the speedster to them.
Lightning rods are usually only the absolute love of their lives and immediate family. IE, Barry and Iris, Wally and Linda, Jay and Joan, Barry and Wally, Bart and Max, [insert Flash fam member] and [insert Flash fam member], ect, ect.
It’s a PRETTY BIG DEAL to be a lightning rod for a speedster. It means that you have their unconditional love and they can’t live life without you. There are a few instances of friends being lightning rods (Barry with Hal and Jay with Alan) and even fewer instances of entire teams being lightning rods (thus far only Wally with Dick, Donna, Roy, Garth and Bart with Kon, Tim, Cassie and Cissie) but TWENTY NINE PEOPLE??
Judy is rocking up to a fight with TWENTY NINE lightning rods as her team and that’s amazing and unheard of. I love that for her.
