Two Yachts Burn Down in Pasadena Marina Florida

A fire in Pasadena Yacht and Country Club located in Boca Ciega Bay, southwest of Gulfport Boulevard, Florida which started after about 16:00 hours of Wednesday fourth October totalled and sank two boats and damaged two more.  The fire started on a thirteen meter flybridge cruiser, which then jumped to the starboard side on a sixteen meters sportfish yacht.  The flybridge cruiser which ignited the fire was totally burned down to the waterline and sank with the fire, while the sportfish yacht to starboard also received extensive damage and partly sank later on.  Another seventeen meter sportfish yacht to port side of the fire starting flybridge cruiser also had fire burning damage, with some minor damage also hitting a same sized sportfish yacht located to starboard a slip away from the fire starting boat.  Gulfport Police Department dispatched officers, emergency crews, and fire fighters to the scene around 17:00 hours.  The cause of the fire is reported as starting from the battery compartment of the thirteen meter flybridge cruiser.  No one was injured in the fire although damages are reported to be about 1.3 million US dollars.

Pasadena Yacht and Country Club was also involved in a fire on 03:00 hours of eighteen December 2020.  We did not report that fire back then as I found nearly zero information apart a photo of three empty slips damaged by fire.

The boat which started the fire is a Meridian 441 Sedan produced from 2003 to 2008, a model sold over three hundred hulls and was one of the biggest successes of the Brunswick incorporated and owned 2003 to 2016 brand.  The other sportfish yacht which burned down and sank is a Viking 52 Convertible, a model produced from 2002 to 09, with the boat to port side of the starting boat, also being a Viking, but the 55 Convertible from 1998 to 2003.  The further boat to starboard is another Viking but a 56 Convertible which was produced from 2004 to 2010.

Thirty Boats Burn Down in Nautica Feltrinelli

A fire which started in the early 02:40 hours of Saturday 26th August at Nautica Feltrinelli in via della Libera Gargnano, Brescia burned about thirty boats. The fire started in a semi-basement boat storage facility of the boat yard, with the alarm and automatic fire extinguishing system igniting to the flames, and three squads of fire fighting squads arriving immediately on the scene.  It was also reported that at ongoing fire one of the Feltrinelli's saved a few of the boats by towing them away.  According to the initial investigation the fire was ignited by a short circuit on one of the boats.

Feltrinelli boating history goes back in time to 1639 with Pietro a family of boat builders in Gargnano on the Garda lake.  The current set up was started by Egidio Feltrinelli in 1919, a returned American migrant in Gargnano who starts building fast racing boats, with the yard becoming a boat storage and repair centre in 1963 by Fausto.  Today Nautica Feltrinelli is guided by Dino, and is Frauscher Italy's dealer since 2003.

Classic Boat Fire in Ostia, Rome

A nine meter classic sport cruiser with one person onboard went ablaze in between Fiumicino and Ostia, on 18:30 hours of Saturday nineteen August.  The one person onboard after jumping off the boat in the sea was saved by the Fiumiara river police, and at a later stage a fire fighting squad came to the scene with two boats assisted by the Guardia Costiera, turning off the fire before 20:00 hours, but after this the boat sank.  No pollution was made with the fuel tank being recovered, and the boat refloated a day later.  

The classic boat in this fire is a Zarcos 9/m Sport designed by Renato Sonny Levi for hull and exterior by Franco Harrauer and produced in the early to mid seventies.  The 9/m Sport was an evolution of the 8/m and C.V. 500 models.  

Zarcos acronym for Scorza, the surname of the boat builder owner debuted in around 1967 trusting its production to Levi's design, and the pioneering lamellar construction, glued wood at an acute angle to form a solid strong laminate.  Zarcos became popular in the seventies and in that decade also expanded from the first seven meters of the sixties up to a 21 meter flagship which debuted in 1976.  Zarcos is believed to having closed in the early eighties, with the 13/m and 15/m VIP models becoming popular beyond there production run.

Lobsterman Saves Two Persons from Boat Fire

A lobsterman fisherman saved two boaters from a fourteen meter traditional inspired cruiser titled m/y Titan which went ablaze, some nautical miles off Sequin Island, in the coast of Georgetown, Maine on the late morning of Saturday nineteen August.  It took about an hour for the coast guard rescue vessel to arrive in the scene, and with the tender also burned, if it was not for the several lobsterman which answered the call we might be looking for two persons in the water.  The traditional lobster cruiser totally burned down in less to an hour, and sank in about sixty meters of water.  One of the two man suffered some minor burning injuries, with both men taken back to the dock.  The Coast Guard said it will inspect the scene and try to find what caused the boat fire. 

M/y Titan the traditional lobster boat inspired cruiser in this fire is a Sabre Salon Express 48.  The Salon Express 48 offeres a two large cabins lower deck layout and is powered by Cummins or Volvo 550hp and or 600hp with pod drives for speeds up to 37 knots with the large engine option.  The Sabre 48 was also added with a Fly Bridge version in 2016.

Sport Cruiser Burns in Capri

A sport cruiser of about eight meters in length with one person onboard went ablaze, while berthed in Capri's Marina Piccola, at 15:45 of Saturday nineteen August.  The person onboard the sport cruiser was reported to be a mechanic, working on an engine when fire started to come out from under the dash in the helm station.  Immediate the response of Capri's Marina Piccola berth assistance personnel, who first unmoored the sport cruiser, and towed her away to open sea where she burned down and sank.  A fire fighting squad also assisted in the boat fire, with a medical team coming to help the injured with burns mechanic who was taken to hospital for observation.

The sport cruiser in this fire is a Chapparal 290 Signature produced from 2004 to 09.  The 290 Signature offered an open layout interior sleeping six and was powered by twin 190 up to 270hp gas, or twin 200hp diesel engines with stern drives.  The 290 Signature evolved from the 280 with a different stern and tad longer bathing platform, becoming a second generation 290 with upper port holes and other minor design changes in 2010.

Sixteen People Injured in Millstone Marina Boat Explosion

A ten meter sport cruiser injured sixteen persons while finishing refuelling at the Millstone Marine in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri on 16:30 of Friday eleven August.  Three of the persons onboard where ejected with the explosion.  Eleven of the injured persons including a six year old child had mild injuries, and were treated on the scene and released, with the other five taken to the hospital for treatment to moderate injuries.  The boat exploded when the operator of the sport cruiser went to ignite the engine.  Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted the accident and from the initial investigation are saying the boat exploded with gas build up in its engine room.

The sport cruiser in this explosion is a Trojan 350 produced from 1995 to 1998 to a design of Fulvio de Simoni.  The 350 Express offered a two cabins interior and was powered by 320hp gas or Cat 306hp diesel engines on V-drive line shaft.  The Trojan 350 replaced the 10.8 Meter Express and evolved as the 360 in 1999 produced till 2001 with a renewed cockpit design and bit larger bathing platform. Trojan stopped producing boats in 2002.

Hawaii Firestorm

On the eight August the Hawaii Firestorm reached the Lahaina Small boat harbour, devastating most of the 99 boats in the marina with only thirteen boats and there fortunate pier escaping the fire.  The Hawaii Firestorm formed in early August, predominantly reaching Maui, and doing extensive damage to the North West coast and the coastal town of Lahaina, killing 98 persons with 31 people still missing.  The Hawaii Firestorm was contained on the eleventh August, destroying about 2200 buildings in Lahaina alone, and causing over six billion US dollars in three days.  The Hawaii Firestorm was formed by dry gusty conditions created by a strong high pressure to the North of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the South.

Lahiana small boat harbour is located to the North-West of the Island of Maui, to the North of Hawaii and second in size of the Hawaii Island archipelago; which features eight major volcanic islands and thirteen minor islets on the North Pacific Ocean spread in 1,200 nautical miles.  Previously called Sandwich Islands. the Hawaii Islands are a state of the United States of America with a distance of just over 1,700 nautical miles from the closest harbour in California.

Sydney Marina Fire Burns Three Boats

A fire at Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney, on about 05:00 hours in the morning of Thursday Tenth August burned down three boats. Six trucks, 22 fire fighters, and two boats fighted the fire till about 10:00 local time when it was extinguished.  The case at some point was also getting dramatic with one of the boats engulfed in the flames, drifting in the gulf around the marina.  No one was injured in the fire, with a pollution protected boon being made around the wrecks of the three boats.  The fire also involved minor burning damages to two other boats with the combined damage to the boats and marina being estimated at around three million Australian dollars.  

The three burned boats in this fire are a Cruisers 350 Express, a recently delivered Integrity Euro Trawler 440, and a Tiara 5200 Sovran. Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney opened its doors in 2004 when the old floating wharf was replaced by a floating concrete pontoon, with the marina expanding again in 2019 with the new C-wharf, today offering two hundred berths from ten to thirty meters in size.

Boat Saved from Near Fire in Procida

A thirteen meter flybridge cruiser with two persons onboard had a chance of fire in Procida Island, near the islet of Vivara on the afternoon of ninth August.  This was actually not a fire but one of the engines of the flybridge cruiser which went in auto-combustion mode, meaning the engine starts to burn its oil as fuel and does not stop and cannot be stopped from running.  Immediate the response of the Italian Guardia Costiera, which saved the two boaters from the boat. Although fair to say, more a case of an unstoppable engine rather then a real boat fire.  

The flybridge cruiser in this near fire is a Fairline 41 produced from 1990 up to 94 named as 43 in the last two years of production.  Designed as all Fairline's of that era by Bernard Olesinski, the 41/43 offered a two double cabins layout, and was powered by twin Volvo 430 or Cats 375 or 425hp engines on shaft drives.  The 41/43 was replaced by the Squadron 43 in 1994.

Azimut Yacht Burns and Sinks in Otok Zut Croatia

A seventeen meter Azimut 55 with no persons onboard went ablaze near the island of Otok Zut, in the Kornati archipelago, Croatia on the early evening of Sunday sixth August.  No one was onboard the Azimut yacht at the moment of the fire, although the owners where reported to be nearby the yacht.  Local fire fighters rushed to the scene and towed the yacht outside the bay and then let it sink in the depths of the sea.  Nearby boaters reported as seeing the fire starting from the main deck of the yacht.

The yacht in this fire is the popular Azimut 55 Evo, released in 2005 and produced till 2009 to a design of Stefano Righini and interiors by Carlo Galeazzi.  A soft evolution of the standard 55 presented the fall of 2000 main differences in interior woods, and midships cabin windows.  The Azimut 55 was a top seller in its class, selling in over three hundred units in an eight year production run, the success coming for its unique at the time full beam midships stateroom layout.  The 55 was a replacement to the 58 Full and was replaced by the Azimut 58 in 2009.

Two Boats Catch Fire in Portsmouth Virginia Marina

On 07:55 morning of Sunday sixth August Portsmouth Emergency received a call for a boat fire at Tidewater Yacht Marina.  Fire fighters came to the marina finding two boats tied to the dock ablaze, an unattended twelve meters in size aft-cabin cruiser which started the fire, and a house boat of eleven meter which is a liveaboard for a family of five persons including of which is three kids.  It will take about two hours to control the fire, and a hero foster rescue dog to save the family of five and out of harms way, who alerted the liveaboards before it was to late.  Thanks to the dog alert no injuries where sustained, and thanks to the quick action of Portsmouth fire crew, only the two boats where damaged in the fire.

The boat which started this fire looks to be a Trojan 12 Meter Motor Yacht which was produced in the mid to early nineties to a design of Harry Schoell.  The 12 Meter Motor Yacht offered a two double cabin interior and powered by twin Detroit 450hp diesels offered speeds till the mid twenties.  Trojan never replaced the 12 Meter Motor Yacht with the model evolving and becoming the Silverton 392 Motor Yacht in the late nineties.

Sport Cruiser Catches Fire in Coconut Grove Marina Florida

A twelve meter sport cruiser reportedly unattended went on fire while berthed at 2550 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida at about 21:30 hours of Friday 21 July.  Miami fire rescue responded to the fire, and managed to control it in less to hour.  A delicate operation also because the sport cruiser was berthed near Monty Raw Bar Restaurant.  No one was injured from the flames, with the fire fighters also controlling the fire and stopping it from spreading to other boats and the nearby restaurant.  An investigation is under way to what caused the fire what seems to have started in the engine room, and then spreading upwards.

The boat in this fire is a Cruisers 390 Sports Coupe, a model the USA boat builder produced from 2007 to 11.  The 390 Sports Cruiser offered a three part hard-top main deck, with an open plan lower deck sleeping up to six, and was powered by Yanmar's 380hp on V-drives or Volvo 370hp with IPS pod drives.  The 390 Sports Coupe came out as a replacement to the 370 Express and was replaced by the Cruisers 41 Cantius in 2011.

Eight meter Sport Cruiser Burns in Rocchette Tuscany

A eight meter sports cruiser titled m/y Madimar under Italian flag with two persons on board burned down and eventually sank in front of the bay of Rocchette, in Castiglione dell Pescaia, Tuscany, Italy just after 10:00 hours of Sunday ninth July.  No injuries where sustained to the two persons onboard, assisted by two military personnel who where patrolling the whereabouts in that moment. The Guardia Costiera has later interviewed the two persons about the fire sinister, and requesting to recover the sunk wreck being it is a pollutant with fuel and resin.

The boat in this is fire is a Mano Marine 25 Sport build in the noughties.  The Mano Marine 25 Sport offered a two berth accommodation and was usually powered by twin Mercruiser 225hp petrol gas on stern drives.

Flybridge Cruiser Goes Ablaze in Gozo Marina

A fourteen meter flybridge cruiser titled m/y Tiffany went ablaze in Mgarr marina Gozo, at around 18:30 hours of Saturday eight July.  The owners had just boarded the fourteen meter flybridge cruiser when it went on fire.  Malta Civil Protection from a boat and the marina pontoon controlled and then contained the fire onboard the vessel and with the help from Mgarr Marina personnel also stopped it from spreading to other vessels, with the only Gozo island yacht harbour being particularly busy in Summer weekends, and a Saturday evening in July.   One of the fire fighters fighting the blaze was treated for injuries.  The cause of the fire are not reported, though an investigation is underway. The same Mgarr Marina had a big fire involving four boats in the early morning of June 25 2020 which unfortunately left one person dead.

The flybridge cruiser in this fire is an Enterprise Marine EM46, a popular model from the Adriatic sea based boat builder founded in 1984. Released in 1998 the EM46 offers a three double cabins interior, and is powered by twin Volvo 480hp and or 575hp engines.  The Enterprise EM46 is still in production, although Enterprise Marine does not produce much boats nowadays.

Ten Boats Burned in Marseille Marina Fire

A fire in Estaque Marina in Marseille on Tuesday 27 June at about 1430 hours burned ten small boats from five to about eight meters in length.  Fifty fire fighters, sixteen fire engines, and two fire fighting boats from Marseille rushed to the scene to control the flames which they managed to extinguish at 18:00 hours.  Of the ten boats, six are totally burned, with the other four having fire damage.  Three boons where deployed around the fire area and damaged boats in order to contain pollution.

Estaque Marina is located to North West of Marseille, about four nautical miles by sea and ten kilometres of road distance from the sea side city.

Classic Bertram Burns and Sinks in Liguria

A fourteen meter Bertram classic sportfish cruiser with five people onboard; four men and a woman went ablaze on 20:30 hours of Saturday ten June.  The Bertram was travelling from Lavagna in Eastern Liguria to Cala Medici yacht marina in Tuscany, when for an unknown reason ten nautical miles into its trip it went ablaze in front of Deiva Marina.  As soon as the boaters noticed the fire a MayDay was called, answered by the La Spezia coast guard operation, with the boaters first finding help from a passing by Rib, with the Sestri Levante coast guard later assisting in trying to stop the fire, and then taking the boaters to safety.  The five boaters where then later transported to Tigullio harbour where an ambulance was awaiting for a routine check to the five boaters, as they were unharmed with the exception for a shock. The classic Bertram was near to all engulfed by the fire, and then sank in the depths of the Ligurian sea.

The Bertram in this fire is a 46 Convertible model, also called the 46.6 because of the 46 feet six inches length.  Produced from 1971 to 87 the 46 Convertible was Dave Napier first creation for Bertram, setting a new high standard for sea keeping qualities.  The Bertram 46 Convertible was offered in two or three cabins layout, and in its sixteen years production had three versions, the latest one introduced in the fall of 1985.  Power was from twin 435hp GM and or optional 570hp from 1981 onwards.  The Bertram 46 Convertible was replaced by the 50 Convertible in 1987 with a second generation 46 coming in 1995 produced till 97.

Two Men Saved from Boat Fire Near Melbourne

Two men where saved from a thirteen meter flybridge cruiser which went up in flames just over one nautical miles from St. Kilda shoreline, Port Phillip Bay, near Melbourne on 12:10 hours of Wednesday 24 May.  Fire rescue Victoria assisted the boat with a fire suppression vessel, while the two men onboard, a 61 and a 59 year old, who tried to suppress the smoke coming from the engine room, abandoned ship, and after about fifteen minutes in the water where rescued and collected by a military rib who was conducting a training exercise in nearby Williamstown.  The fire was extinguished by about 12:45 hours although the flybridge cruiser was burned down to the waterline at this stage and sank.  The coast guard, border force, and a hospital helicopter also responded to the fire.  According to the initial investigation the fire was triggered from the engine room with a possible mechanical failure igniting it.

The flybridge cruiser in this fire is a Carver 444 Cockpit Motor Yacht which entered in production in 2001 and was produced till 2007.  Based on the 396 Motor Yacht with the addition of an aft cockpit, the 444 Cockpit Motor Yacht offered a spacious layout with two fore and aft staterooms, and is powered by twin Cummins 370hp diesels on shafts for speeds up to 25 knots.  The 444 Cockpit Motor Yacht received a visual updated to its windows in 2005 and was replaced by the Carver Sojourn 44 in 2008.

Classic Bertram Catches Fire in Biscayne Bay

A classic Bertram sixteen meter sportfish yacht with three people onboard went ablaze near the Coral Gables Waterway in Biscayne Bay, Miami on the afternoon of Saturday March eighteen.  Coral Gables Police Department spotted the smoke first and assisted the three people onboard, while Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Miami Fire Rescue went to the scene to put out the flames.  According to reports no one was grievously injured, and the causes of the fire are unknown.  The condition of the Bertram yacht after the fire is unknown, though in the videos online the fire looks extensive, and most probably is a wreck.

The Bertram in this fire is the Dave Napier designed 54 launched in 1981 and produced till 2001 and sold in over 130 units.  A modern classic since launch the Bertram 54 had in those twenty years three versions, the first version up to 1985 is recognizable by the central pillar in the side windows, from 1997 it had a soft exterior refresh and interior by Faggoni from Italy.  The Bertram 54 was replaced by the 570 in 2002 which used the same hull with a new design outside and inside by Zuccon.  

Bertram 54 classic post here

Lake Hubbard Fire Burns Down Three Boats

A big fire at Chandler Landings marina, in Lake Ray Hubbard, Rockwall, Dallas, Texas at about 1730 hours of Monday thirtieth January is reported to have burned and totalled three boats, and extensively damage to two others.  Forty fire fighters from Rockwall and Dallas Fire-Rescue and two other agencies where dispatched to the area to control the flames, which took a few hours to take off, due to the weather and difficult location.  No one was reported injured in the fire, with an investigation being under way to establish the cause.  

Of the boats in the fire in the above picture we can spot the following from left to right; late nighties Sea Ray 400 Sundancer, Tiara 3200 Open, and a Four Winns 328 Vista.

Eighty Boats Destroyed in Marbella Boat Storage Fire

Over eighty boats from five to twelve meters in size where destroyed and or severely damaged in a boat storage facility fire which broke out at around 1900 hours of Wednesday eleven January, at La Bajdilla in Marbella, South East of Spain.  Thirty fire fighters fought the fire which was controlled in about two hours, this reported under control at 2100 hours of the same evening.  The causes of the fire are unknown, although unconfirmed reports are saying it started in an unattended warehouse workshop adjacent to the facility.

The La Bajdilla boat storage facility belongs to the Marina Marbella Group, a boat and yacht dealer with operations in Spain, United Kingdom, and Portugal, founded in 1965 by two Swede brothers Lars and Goran Sundberg. Today Marina Marbella is still owned by the Sundberg family and is distributor for the following six brands; Sea Ray, Frauscher, Wajer, Sessa, Solaris Power, and Filippetti.