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.

Azimut Yacht Destroyed by Fire in Biograd

A twenty meter Azimut flybridge yacht titled m/y Do This with seven persons onboard went on fire in front of the Kumanat district in Biograd, Croatia at about 09:45 hours of Sunday 27 June 2021. Do This was reportedly cruising in the area at about twenty knots, when the yacht suddenly slowed down to eleven knots, and smoke started coming from the engine room.  At this stage the captain stopped the yacht and upon inspecting the engine room found it fuming.  Seeing this the captain tried to extinguish the fire, and after various tries with no success called a may-day, and abandoned ship helped by two nearby Slovenian and Austrian yachts. Later on at about 11:00 hours the fire was extinguished by a fire fighting boat which arrived from Zadar, although the yacht was totalled and burned to the waterline.  No one was injured or intoxicated in the yacht fire, with this making a lot of news because former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz Christian Strache and his family where onboard the yacht.  The yacht or what remained of it was salvaged by Zadar company Emergensea, who then took the wreck to Lamjana shipyard on the island of Ugljan. 

M/y Do This is an Azimut 68 Plus designed by Stefano Righini, which debuted in the Genoa boat show in the fall of 1999.  This was a motor yacht which re-invented and dominated the twenty meter segment thanks to its futuristic modern looks, and well appointed four double guest cabins, and one crew cabin layout.  A commercial success from its debut, the Azimut 68 Plus evolved into the 68 Evolution in 2005, with a new stern and hull windows design and then produced up to 2008, selling a total of 150 units in both versions.

Apreamare Ends Aground in Fiumicino

A sixteen meter Apreamare traditional yacht with two persons onboard ended aground at the entrance of Fiumara Grande, Fiumicino to the outskirts of Rome on the early afternoon hours of Tuesday 21 November.  The Fiumicino Harbour Master and Civil Protection was immediately on the scene, saving the two boaters, who had no injuries.  The Apreamare yacht was coming from Sardinia direction to Fiumicino, when at the end of its trip had trouble with one engine, making manoeuvring in the Fiumara entrance difficult and ultimately ended aground.  An operation to remove the yacht is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

The Apreamare in this grounding is the 16 model presented in the 2002 Genoa boat show. The 16 is a design of Tommaso Spadolini with naval architecture by Umberto Tagliavini featuring three lower deck layouts, in three or two double cabins, and was powered by twin Man 730 up to 800hp engines for speeds up to 32 knots.  The Apreamare 16 evolved into the 54 in 2005 with the standardized patio door, and a renewed stern bathing platform design and then produced till 2009.

Tropical Storm-Force Winds Hits South Florida

Tropical storm-force winds hit South Florida and the Treasure Island on Thursday, sixteen November.  The winds started gusting at over fifty knots at around 04:00 hours of the morning with the storm calming down jest before 18:00 local time.  The storm caused a lot of damage in the area, toppled a lot of trees, destroyed tents, broke loose a few boats, and three hundred power cuts happening during the day.  In Jensen beach a catamaran ended slamming in a dock, while a ketch finished beached and aground and partly toppled into a seawall after it broke loose.  The picture above shows also a sport-boat-cruiser of about eleven meters in length which partly sank, and was hanging with the dock near Gateway Boulevard in Boynton beach.

The sport-power-boat-cruiser in the above sinking is a Formula 419 SR-1.  Designed by  Formula designer John Adams, the 419 SR-1 was introduced in 1991 as a flagship of the range, with triple engines for speeds up to seventy knots, and the trademark 24 degrees deadrise aft.  In 1997 the 419 evolved into the FasTech updated with a three-step hull, and produced till 2001.  Formula never really replaced the 419, with the 382 FasTech taking it's place as flagship, 

Princess Yacht Burns and Sinks in Isle of Wight

An eighteen meter Princess sport yacht titled m/y Peroni with two persons onboard caught fire near Ventnor, to the South of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom at 10:20 hours of Saturday eleventh November.  The coast guard responded to the May Day call with Bembridge RNLI picking the two persons onboard, while Sandown and Shanklin independent lifeboat and its crew monitored the yacht on fire, and its debris, as it drifted to the South East until it eventually sank at about 13:30 local time.

M/y Peroni is a 2017 Princess V58, an eighteen meter sport yacht designed by Bernard Olesinski with a three double cabins accommodation and a DS saloon patio door or full Open main deck option.  Peroni had the enclosed Deck Saloon option and was powered by the large Volvo 900hp for speeds up to 37 knots.  Produced from 2014 to 18 the V58 came out as a replacement to the V57, and was replaced by the V55 in 2019.

Viking 92 Beaches in Delray Beach Following Black-Out

A 28 meter Viking super sportfish yacht titled m/y Pastime under US flag with three crew onboard ended beached in the East area of Delray Beach, Florida on about 15:00 hours of Friday third November.  The 28 meter sportfish yacht lost total electric and mechanical power while underway from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale, with the engines stopping to run and all electrical systems going in black out South of Boynton inlet, becoming an incapicated vessel, in three meter wave seas, and thirty knots Easterly winds.  As it stopped without power and already beached TowBoatU.S arrived on the scene trying to tow the yacht, with no success as Pastime snapped multiple lines in all the towing attempts, with over tens of tries in pulling the ninety tons behemoth failing both on Friday and Saturday.  Success for the towing arrived on Sunday fifth November, at about 15:15 as finally with a higher tide, and removal of fuel and liquids, Pastime was removed from Delray beach and towed for a three hour trip by TowBoatU.S to the Viking Yacht Service Center in Riviera Beach, Florida.  TowBoatU.S used twenty persons and five vessels to clear the Viking sportfish, in what was a delicate, difficult, and unusual operation.  No one was injured in the beaching and operation of towing, with Pastime reported to lose power because of a malfunction to the fire suppression system which switches all electrical and mechanical systems off.  According to photos from the Viking Service Center, Pastime had both rudders bent, minimum prop damage, and a scratch to its Vee bottom.  On ten November Viking Yachts released a press statement about this beaching incident, which to be fair has little to do about them also because this a seven year old yacht. 

Pastime is a Viking 92 Convertible from the fall of 2016, hull ten and the first to launch with the open bridge layout.  The 92 Convertible offers accommodation for five double cabins sleeping ten, with two crew cabins, and is powered by twin MTU 2600hp for speeds up to 36 knots.  Launched as the Enclosed Bridge in 2014, the 92 was Viking's flagship at launch, expanding its size by ten foot from the 2009 launched 82.  21 units of the 92 have been made till 2022, with the model replaced by the Viking 90 at the start of 2023.

Previously named m/y Sweet Tuna, this Viking 92 Convertible was sold in 2022 for under nine million US$, and renamed to Pastime and according to some reports was displayed just one week ago at the 2023 Fort Lauderdale boat show as a brokerage.

Viking Sportfish Ends Aground in Long Island, Bahamas

A fifteen meter Viking sportfish yacht titled Oh Reely under Montenego Bay, Jamaica flag ended aground on Long Island, Bahamas reportedly on the morning of Friday 27 October.  According to reports the Oh Reely was navigating from Jamaica on the way to Florida, where it developed a technical mechanical problem which unfortunately ended the sportfish aground and on the rocks.  Unfortunately for Oh Reely things got even worse as with the tide going up and waves rolling, the sportfish became a total wreck splitting in the aft cockpit side, with the starboard hull side completely opening up with the wave-rock crushing.

Oh Reely is a second generation Viking 50 Convertible produced from the fall of 2008 up to 2013.  The 50 Convertible offers a three double cabins layout with a midships starboard side owners stateroom, and is powered by twin Man 1100 or 1360hp engines, with top speeds up to forty knots from the large engine option.  The 50 Convertible came as a replacement to the Viking 48 Convertible and was replaced by the 52 Convertible in 2014.

Hurricane Otis Goes Apocalyptic in Acapulco

Hurricane Otis made an apocalyptic arrival in Acapulco on Wednesday 25 October, devastating the waterfront of the Acapulco Yacht Club in the North-West of the bay.  Otis was a compact and so far the most powerful Tropical storm category five hurricane of the 2023 Pacific Season reaching speeds up to 143 knots on the morning of October 25. Forming on the 22nd November, and reaching its peak on the 04:00 hours of October 25, Otis hit and made landfall in Isla de la Roqueta, to the South of Acapulco, killing 49 people, with 57 still missing, and is estimated to have made seventeen billion US dollars in damages.     

Scene from the North part of the of Acapulco Yacht Club, you can see an Azimut 54, and a Sunseeker Predator 63 Open to the left corner, along with a few Sea Rays.

Here is the South side is a Ferretti 800, followed by a Sunseeker Predator 57, a mid nineties Horizon Elegance 82, and an Azimut 100 Jumbo.

A before and after Hurricane Otis view of Acapulco Bay.  Possibly one of the biggest single areas destructions, and devastations ever seen.

Hurricane Norma 2023

Norma is the ninth hurricane of the Pacific 2023 season.  Forming from a low pressure appearing on the fifteen October to the Southern Coast of Mexico, which on the seventeen became a Tropical storm, and becoming a Hurricane the morning after of the eighteen. For the next 24 hours Norma will increase speeds from sixty to 112 knots becoming a category four Hurricane and causing chaos in the Southern Western Coast of Mexico.  Norma started to weaken on October 20, but made a second round of seventy knots winds on the 21st doing damage to the West-North-West of Cabo San Lucas, with a third round on the 23rd at Sinaloa near El Dorado.  After this Norma became a remnant low pressure.  

Hurricane Norma has caused major damage to La Paz and Marina Cortez to the East of Baja California Sur, with about fifty boats reported lost or damaged.  Above is a photo screen from a one of the videos circulating on social media showing the damage to La Paz marina.  This video showed a few catamarans and sail yachts sank, with the above motor yacht looking like a Hampton 490 Pilothouse semi-sank, and other motor yachts showing damage to the bathing platforms and hull sides.  

A video on YouTube by Your Saltwater Guide also showed a Cantieri di Pisa Akhir 30 S which was taken aground by the storms surge power.

While Alan Flores Ramos on Twitter showed the 2021 Ferretti Custom Line Navetta 33, hull #16 m/y Ricacha mostly sank vertically with its port side anchor out.  It is reported on some sources that Ricacha sought refuge in La Paz only for it to sustain damage in a collision and then sink.  The crew were rescued, with an operation to salvage Ricacha being underway.

Sea Ray Sport Cruiser Beached in Southbourne Beach

A seven meter Sea Ray sport cruiser titled Bone Idle with one person onboard ended beached on the sands of Fisherman's Walk, Southbourne Beach in Bournemouth, Britain South coast on 13:20 of Monday 23rd October.  Bone Idle is reported to have jammed one of its propellers with its own anchor chain as this exited out whilst in navigation that same morning, and then incapacitating the sport cruiser and ultimately ending beached. The one person onboard was not injured with Southbourne Coast Guard rescue team inspecting the vessel, and this planned to be removed on the following day. 

Bone Idle is a second generation Sea Ray 240 Sundancer.  Produced from 1996 to 1999 the 240 Sundancer offered a spacious for its size two plus two accommodation layout and was powered by a single 270hp engine on stern drive.   The second generation 240 was an evolution of the 1993 to 95 230 Sundancer, and evolved into the third 1999 to 2004 third generation 240 which featured a wide body cockpit for more space.

Sunseeker Sport Yacht Runs Aground in Pijavica, Croatia

A 28 meter Sunseeker sport yacht titled Code, with a captain and two crew ran aground in the islet of Pijavica, near Trogir Bay in Croatia at 06:35 hours of Monday 23rd October.  No one was injured in the grounding with Telegram news reporting that the captain of Code deliberately ran the yacht aground in order to save her from sinking. During the preliminary inspection by Split harbour master, Code is reported to have its hull fully resting on the island cliff, and carrying just over 3,000 liters fuel, and as precaution was surrounded with floating dams by the Voluntary Fire Company of Kastela.   

M/y Code is a Sunseeker Predator 92 Sport from 2009 powered by twin MTU 2434hp engines for top speeds up to 38 knots.  Designed by Don Shead the Sunseeker Predator 92 offers an eight double cabins, plus two crew layout.  The Sunseeker Predator 92 was produced from 2008 till 2010 in ten units, with the same hull evolving into the slightly shorter Predator 84 in 2009.

Ghost Motor Yacht Ends Aground in Fregenae Beach

This starts as a ghost thriller, when an eighteen meter motor yacht titled Carpe Diem under French flag and without crew, ended aground in-front of Controvento, on the sands of Fregenae beach, to the outskirts of Rome on the Eastern water-front at about 16:00 hours of Sunday 22nd October.  At the grounding the crew-less motor yacht gathered a group of curious persons, with a first under-water inspection coming from the Centrovento establishment staff, and then later in the afternoon followed by that of the Police.  Finding some clothes and a confused messy interior, with a fishing rod at the stern, and following the yacht registration the Italian police found that Carpe Diem was previously owned by a Croatian who sold it in 2022, to the current ownership.  Later on in the evening the thriller was partly solved with the investigation telling that the yacht was navigating to Marseille with three Croatian crew, when it developed a mechanical problem seventy nautical miles offshore from Anzio on the fifteen of October.  Calling a May-Day also due to the rough seas, the three crew abandoned the yacht with assistance and boarding on the Excelsior ferry, who dropped them in Genova harbour.  Following further investigations by the Rome Coast Guard and of receipts found onboard it was also discovered the itinerary for the yacht before it was abandoned, berthing in Lecce, and Marina di Camerota harbours.  The coast guard is now organizing the removal of the yacht from Fregenae beach to avoid any environment and pollution damage.

Carpe Diem the yacht in this grounding is a Guy Couach 185 Fly from 1999.  Produced from 1996 to 2000 the Guy Couach 185 Fly offers a three double cabins layout with a full beam owners stateroom, plus a crew cabin located forward, and is powered by twin MTU 767hp for top speeds up to 28 knots. A replacement to the 1901, the 185 Fly was replaced by the Guy Couach 1900 model in 2001.  Guy Couach or as is known recently as Couach Yachts is a yacht builder from Cujan Mestras to the West of France, which started in 1897 by building the World first marine engine, and entering production boat building with the Arcoa brand in 1947, and then with Guy Couach in 1968 and the 1200 model for bigger boats.  Two years after this, in 1970 Couach also entered into the supply of military and surveillance vessels, which is still a part of its business today.

Classic Motor Yacht Sinks in Terracina

An unattended twenty meter classic Cantieri di Pisa motor yacht partly sank at the exit of the Portatore river, at the exit of the Badino yacht harbour, in Terracina, Latina, Italy on the morning of Saturday 21 October.  The classic yacht was found partly sank with its stern resting on the river bed, and the bow and part of its super structure still floating. The Gaeta Guardia di Finanza along with the Maritime Office of Terracina where quickly on the case, contacting the ownership, so it removes the yacht and put it to safety, in order to avoid any damage to the environment and the river.  According to reports on the LatinaOggi news the ownership of the yacht accepted this call, and even with the bad weather of the day started the organization to remove the yacht and put it to safety.  An investigation is ongong for why did the yacht sink.

This classic motor yacht is a Cantieri di Pisa Akhir 20 a design of Pierluigi Spadolini produced from 1979 till 1984.  Build in wood planking the Pisa Akhir 20 offered an interior of three double guest cabins plus a crew cabin for two, and is powered by twin 750hp GM for top speeds up to 27 knots.  A replacement to the 19, the Akhir 20 was replaced by more modern and bigger 22 in 1985.

Sea Ray Ends Beached in Coney Island

A ten meter Sea Ray sports cruiser titled Broken Arrow with one person onboard ended beached by the West 37th Street Jetty, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York just before 19:00 hours of Friday twentieth October.  The Sea Ray sport cruiser is reported to have left a marina on Rockaway in rough seas and had some problems with a risk of sinking, with the skipper onboard beaching it to avoid her going down.  The sport cruiser was reported being secured on the same night by the owner.  The day after the ownership was reported trying to unbeach the boat, with no success. 

We have reports that until 1 November Broken Arrow was still beached in the same spot.

Broken Arrow is a Sea Ray 340 Express Cruiser.  Produced from 1984 to 89 the 340 EC offers an open plan accommodation sleeping two plus two, and line shafts propulsion with tunnels.  Similar to the Sundancer in looks, the Sea Ray Express Cruiser offered line shafts propulsion, and a smaller interior alternative version.  The 340 EC had a 340 Sport Fisherman flybridge variant produced till 1987, and was replaced by the 310/330 Express Cruiser in 1990.

Storm Babet

Storm Babet has made havoc in Britain, northern Germany and southern Scandinavia, with powerful winds, heavy rain and storm surges that caused floods, power outages, evacuations and disrupted flights, railway service and ferry lines.  Storm Babet made landfall on Thursday nineteen October, first arriving in the northern part of the United Kingdom, and continued making havoc in North Germany and Southern Scandinavia up till Saturday 21st October.  Gale-force winds whipped up storm surges on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea, breaking through flood defences in coastal areas in Denmark and northern Germany. In Flensburg, a German city just south of the border with Denmark, water levels rose more than two meters to the highest level recorded in a century.  

Forming on the fifteen October Storm Babet also called Storm Viktor in Germany, is an extratropical cyclone which affected Northern and Western Europe, reaching speeds up to one hundred knots, and has caused nine fatalities.  

So far we know that Storm Babet caused damage in the following German yacht marinas; Olympic port of Schilksee in Kiel, Damp, north of Eckernförde, and Wassersleben Marina in Harrislee near Flansbee causing damage to over 200 boats.  The storm in these harbours was caused on Friday twentieth October.

Super Yacht Australia Aground in Singapore

A 56 meter Benetti super yacht titled m/y Australia and registered under Malta flag hit a reef off the Buran Channel, just one nautical mile of Sentosa Resort, Singapore on 16:25 of Monday sixteen October.  Australia was just exiting the Sentosa resort and at about one nautical mile from the harbour entrance she was seen listing to its port side.  Some unconfirmed reports said the yacht had a pilot onboard, and other news said it developed a mechanical damage with its deviating from its course outside the channel leading it to go into the shallower area and ultimately run partly aground.  Singapore Maritime and Port Authority advised that there was no disruption to port channel traffic, no pollution happened in the grounding, and no injuries are being reported.  Six hours after the grounding Australia was re-floated and resting at anchor to East of Sentosa assessing its damage, with a tug boat nearby ready for assistance.  Some reports are saying that Australia had a hull breach during the grounding and will be dry-docked for repairs.

Since 2021 m/y Australia is owned by down under billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer, who purchased the 56 meter Benetti in December 2020, at the time asking a price of just under thirty million US dollars.

Motor Yacht Australia, previously named Bash and launched as Ulysses is a Benetti 56M series launched in 2012. Designed by Stefano Natucci the Benetti 56M was a semi-custom series delivered in four build to order units from 2005 to 12, with Australia being the last of these builds. This 56M offered a six suites interior with thirteen crew accommodation, and is powered by twin 1850hp Cat engines for top speeds up to sixteen knots.  The 56M was a following of Benetti's successful Golden Age 50M steel build semi custom series which debuted in 1997 and sold in seven units up to 2008.

Super Yacht Burns at Fort Lauderdale Yacht Haven Marina

A 28 meter super yacht titled m/y Self Made burned in flames while berthed in Yacht Haven Marina, near West State Road 84, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on about 22:30 hours of Thursday twelfth October.  Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and Fire Fighters responded to the blaze which engulfed Self Made, with the flames controlled in about two hours.  After the fire the 28 meter yacht had over half of its main deck and flybridge badly burned down by the fire.  The yacht was reported unattended at the time of the fire, with no injuries and damage to other vessels being reported.  

Motor Yacht Self Made previously named Janet is a Cheoy Lee 92 model delivered in 1999, and last refitted in 2015.  Designed by Tom Fexas the Cheoy Lee 92 debuted in 1988 as an evolution of the 90, and in 1999 received a new super structure design and was produced till 2004 in a total of ten units.  The 92 was replaced by the Burvenich design Cheoy Lee 95 in 2005.

Liveaboard Sports Cruiser Ends Beached in Treasure Island Florida

A twelve meter Chris Craft sport cruiser ended beached in Treasure Island, Florida, when it broke it's swing anchored mooring in the Gulf near Caddy's, during a storm on the night of Wednesday eleven October.  The sport cruiser is a liveaboard for one person, who was not onboard when it all happened, but did see it from a distance and tried to paddle back onboard with no success, due to the strong current of the night.  The owner as the picture above has started digging in order to remove the vessel, before a notice of enforcement arrives.  After just over a month the Chris Craft sport cruiser was put on a trailer and towed away by the authorities on the sixteen November.

This Chris Craft in this beaching is a 412 Amerosport.  Produced from 1987 to 1990, the 412 Amerosport has an open plan layout sleeping four plus two and a single shower head compartment, and was standard powered by twin Mercruiser 454hp for speeds up to 27 knots.  The 412 Amerosport evolved into the 400 Express Cruiser in its last 1990 production year, same model but with more consverative graphics.  The Amerosport line from Chris Craft was introduced in 1987 with four 28 to 41 foot models, to compete with the Sea Ray Sundancer's who dominated the sales of the North American boating market in those years.

46 meter Super Yacht Burns Down Near Ano Koufonisi

A 46 meter super yacht titled m/y Navis One with twelve crew and ten guests, went ablaze in flames outside the harbour of Ano Koufonisi, to the East of the Cyclades Islands Archipelago, Greece on 20:00 hours of Monday ninth October.  Eye witnesses reported the super yacht anchored in the area around 16:00 local time and four hours later developed a fire to aft of the vessel and within an hour had burned its two upper decks, with fire engulfing the lower decks later on.  The steel super yacht fully wrecked by the fire capsized and sank in the morning of tenth October.  Police assisted Navis One just after the fire started at 20:00 local time, while the coast guard arrived at about 23:00 hours, to firefight and control the fire with no success.  Both guests and crew where evacuated from the yacht and no one was injured in the fire, although a lot of debris was reported in the area, some of substantial size with the yacht wreck also marked as being a navigational hazard.

Motor yacht Navis One, previously named Queen Anne is a Gentech Soraya 46 model build in 2013 with steel hull and aluminium super structure, to an exterior design of Unielle, interior by Ales Bratina, and naval architecture from Meccano Engineering.  Gentech 46 Soraya features accommodation for ten guests in five suites and twelve crew in six cabins, and was powered by twin 1300hp Cat engines for top speeds up to sixteen knots on a displacement hull shape.  Soraya 46 was the only yacht build by the Turkish, Antalya located Gentech Ltd.  Navis One chartered at 200,000 US dollars a week, and was for sale at sixteen million Euros.

Regal Cruiser Lake Cumberland Night Cruising Ends Aground

An eleven meter Regal cruiser with two persons onboard, a man and a woman ended aground in Cemetry Island near the mouth of Beaver Creek, Lake Cumberland, Kentucky, USA on the night of Friday sixth October.  The Regal sport cruiser was night cruising at an important sustained speed, with part of the grounding being blamed for the lake being about six meters shallower to its usual standard.  The two onboard passengers where reported having light injuries during the collision grounding, while the sport cruiser sustained damage to all the running gear with a rudder pushing inside, and scratched and punctured the hull. 

The Regal sport cruiser in this grounding is a 3860 Commodore model, produced from 2002 to 2007.  The Regal 3860 Commodore featured a two stateroom two heads layout, and was standard powered with twin 420hp petrol gas engines and or optional diesels for speeds up to thirty knots. The 3860 evolved into the Regal 4060 Commodore in 2007 with a forward open hard-top, Volvo IPS pod option, and a lightly longer bathing platform.