Princess Yacht Ends Beached in Calvi After Storm

A 26 meter Princess super yacht named m/y Vista Me ended beached on Calvi Beach in Corsica during a storm on the night between Friday twelfth and Saturday thirteen August.  The storm with gale winds and torrential rains, reached forty knots or Force Eight Beaufort scale winds.  Vista Me cut its swing mooring lines, and along with six other sailing yachts ended beached on Calvi Beach.  Twelve hours after the storm all yachts with the exception of Vista Me where refloated by SNSM voluntary corps, with the Princess super yacht needing further inspection and work for refloating to minimize further damage.

Vista Me is a 2019 Princess Y85, designed by Pininfarina for exterior and naval architecture by Olesinski.  The Princess Y85 has a four double cabins accommodation and is powered by twin Man 1900hp engines which give her a top speed up to 31 knots.  Still in production today the Y85 was introduced in 2019 with the model receiving a full hull window update in 2022, and so far 32 hulls have been produced.

Sport Yacht Collides Into Reef to Avoid Collision, One Dead Three Injured

One person died and three others where injured when an eighteen meter sport yacht named m/y Amore collided with a reef in La Nibani Islands, close to Porto Cervo in the Emerald Coast to the North East of Sardinia, on the night of 31 July at around 2050 hours.  The collision came following a manovre by its captain to avoid m/y Sweet Dragon of 21 meters in size coming from its right side, with Amore navigating from South to North.  One person the owner of Amore a 63 year old English German named Dean Crossbein was reported dead following a heart attack on the collision.  Amore sustained a large gapping hole damage to the port side of its bow, where the crew cabin is located.  Two other unnamed smaller boats where also involved in the accident, with Sweet Dragon and another smaller boat giving first-aid assistance to Amore immediately after the impact.  Both Amore and Sweet Dragon where detained by the Coast Guard for further investigation, with both captains of the large sport yachts accused of involuntary man slaughter.

M/Y Amore is a Profilmarine Cherokee 60 designed by Alberto Mercati.  The Cherokee 60 was introduced in 1987 available with a two or three double cabins layout plus one crew cabin forward and powered by twin GM 1080hp in line shaft or surface drives. Profilmarine from Viareggio was owned by its architect Alberto Mercati, which made historical success in the eighties with the 50 model which sold over fifty units in that decade. 

M/Y Sweet Dragon is a 1989 Magnum 70 one of eleven made and the first version as designed by Pininfarina.  Sweet Dragon commissioned by the family Campari has been owned since 1995 by x-Italian prime minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi. 

Super Yacht Shot and Force Collided in Turkey Drug Bust

A 27 meter super yacht named m/y Belgor with US flag was shot and later rammed by the Turkish coast guard in an anti-drug smuggling operation on the early morning of Thursday 28 July, in the coast of Yalikavak, to the North West of Bodrum, in Western Turkey.  The yacht suffered significant damage in this drug bust operation which featured four Coast Guard boats, a helicopter and an airplane. The yacht with four persons onboard was reported trying to escape into Greek waters after having collected drugs from the commercial ship Ocean Blue.  After calls for the yacht to stop, the coast guard was forced to open fire and later subdue the yacht and arrest the four persons onboard, who where found in possession of 81 kilograms of cocaine drugs, with sixty kilograms thrown into the sea during the chase, and twenty kilograms found onboard.  It is not clear if the four persons onboard the yacht are injured or not as there is mixed reports about this.

M/y Belgor is a Cantieri Navali di Lavagna Admiral 27, build in the late eighties to the early nineties to a design of Paolo Caliari.  The Admiral 27 offers an accommodation for eight guests in four cabins, with two crew cabins sleeping four, powered by twin MTU engines it reaches a thirty knots top speed.  Eleven Admiral 27 are reported to have been build with one of them reported being build of wood.

Hatteras Yacht Capsizes in LA Conner

A Hatteras  motor yacht of about eighteen meters in length with a couple went aground and later capsized on the night between Sunday seventeen and Monday eighteen July in the Swinomish channel, La Conner, state of Washington.  Reports on this are difficult to find but some  are saying that the yacht hit the South side of the breakwater which with high tide is covered in water and difficult to navigate especially for inexperienced yachtsman not from the area, and after the impact rolled him to his side and capsized the yacht.  Latest news is that on 23 July a team of TowBoatUS was waiting for high tide in order to upright the yacht and tow it away for repairs.  The couple are reported unharmed in the accident.

The motor yacht in this accident looks to be a Hatteras 58 Cockpit MY designed by the Carolina builder lead designer of the time Jack Hargraves and produced from 1977 till 1981.  The Hatteras 58 Cockpit MY was offered in three or optional four double cabins layout, and also featured a full beam main body main deck, serving the aft part of the saloon.  The Hatteras 58 Cockpit MY features a semi-planning hull with keel and is standard powered by twin GM 435hp engines good for about twenty knots tops.

Sportfish Runs Aground Leaving One Injured

An Ocean Yachts sportfish yacht of about seventeen meters in length was filmed running aground in the morning of eighteen July, in Fire Island, off the New York state in the Atlantic Ocean.  One of the crew, which was the passenger staying at the aft of the boat was injured and according to reports had to be taken to hospital.  The sportfish was in a delivery trip by a professional captain who from some unconfirmed news was reported as falling asleep at the time of the accident, with the sportfish yacht on the autopilot ending up beached at a speed of over twenty knots.  The extent of the damage has not been reported.

The sportfish yacht in this accident is an Ocean Yachts 56 Super Sport.  Produced from 1999 to 2002, the 56 Super Sport was a shortened cockpit of the 60 SS, and was replaced by the 57 in 2003.  The Ocean Yachts 56 Super Sport offered a comfortable interior with three double cabins, while twin Man 1050hp gave her a top speed up to 35 knots, and a fast cruise of 32.

Ferretti Super Yacht Aground in Long Island

A 29 meter Ferretti super yacht ran aground on Bailie Beach, Mattituck in Long Island, New York on the morning of 26 June.  Three persons where onboard the super yacht on the time of the accident, with none of them being injured during the incident.  The super yacht was later assisted by two boats from Douglas Marine from 0920 till about 1400 hours when high tide arrived and the yacht was refloated. The yacht had no apparent damage and was reported going at the Strong Marine dock in Mattituck for further check ups on own power.  During the accident the super yacht was reported as cruising just over six knots in clear weather conditions.

Called In Too Deep, this Ferretti is a 960 model build in 2013.  Designed by Zuccon the Ferretti 960, was launched in 2013 and produced till 2020, with twenty units reported being made.  The 960 has an interior with a four of five double cabins layout, and was powered by twin MTU 2218hp, 2435hp, or 2638hp engines, with the larger units giving a 31 knots top speed.  Taking away the Ferretti Custom Line brand, the 960 was Ferretti largest build yacht till 2020, over took by the replacing 1000 model launched in 2021.

Riva Beaches in Istria Croatia

A sixteen meter Riva sport yacht ended up beached near Katina island, in the Kornati islands archipelago in Croatia on second June.  The cause of the accident are unknown and not reported but these waters are marked in the charts and even by a static marker to port side of this accident.  No injuries where reported and the Riva was recovered on the morning of fifth June.  The Riva sixteen meter sport yacht had damage to the hull and its running gear; P-brackets, propellers, rudders, and shafts.  

The Riva in this accident is a Rivale 52.  The Rivale 52 was launched in 2004 and produced till 2016 to a design from since 1994 Riva designer Mauro Micheli, a student of Riva's original designer Giorgio Barilani since 1985.  The Rivale 52 offered a fresh approach to Riva sport yachts above fifteen meters, looking like one of the smaller fast cruisers on steroids, this formula was repeated in the 63 Virtus and next generation 56 Rivale presented in 2017.  While looking sporty and sleek the Rivale 52 offered a three cabins accommodation with six berths two heads, and or five berths and three heads third cabin for crew layouts.  The Rivale 52 is powered by twin Man 1050hp, giving speeds up to 37 knots and over one hundred units have been made, till it was replaced in 2017 by the one meter longer 56 Rivale.

Super Yacht Stuck in Pisa Bridge

A 58 meter super yacht titled m/y Idol got stuck in the bridge on its way out of the Pisa Channel, on Tuesday 31 May at approximately 1100 hours.  During the impact m/y Idol was tug towed, and had just finished a refit at the Seven Stars shipyard, which included a new paint job, bow and stern modifications, and the addition of a helipad.  Idol got stuck on the Autostrada Azzurra Bridge which in low tide has an air draft up to 11.8 meters above water level. After the accident the super yacht was berthed in Livorno with the extent of the damage reported to be minimum.  

Idol was originally launched as m/y Outback in 2007 and build in alloy by Austal Oceanfast shipyard in Australia to an inhouse exterior design and interior by Sam Sorgiovanni.  This fully custom Oceanfast 58.9 meters offers interiors with guest accommodation for twelve in six cabins, with fifteen crew in eight cabins, and is powered by twin Cat engines for a seventeen knots top speed, a cruise of fifteen, and range up to four thousand nautical miles.  Oceanfast was founded in 1988 and acquired by Austal in 1999, with m/y Idol being its second largest build to date following the 2003 launched m/y Nomad.

Princess Runs Aground in Oslofjord Norway

A Princess 20 meter sport yacht with two persons onboard ran aground in Oslofjord, to the South West of Norway on the morning of 21 April.  The sport yacht sustained some important damage with all the forward part of the hull being open in the collision with the rocky surface.  The two persons onboard where reported mildly injured.  No idea how all this happened but the speculation in these kind of accidents is an autopilot running unattended. 

The Princess in this accident is a V65 Mk.II designed by since 1981 designer Bernard Olesinski.  The V65 Mk.II was based on the same first generation V65 mark one hull, with exterior and interior design changes, from a patio door closing the main deck, and a full beam owners cabin.  It also had no lower saloon on the main deck.  The Princess V65 Mk.II was powered by twin Man 1100hp standard, and or optional MTU 1200hp or Man 1360hp.  The model was replaced by the V62 in the fall of 2008.

Super Yacht Aground in Sea of Cortez Mexico

A 52 meter super yacht with fifteen passengers onboard titled m/y Vixit with Cayman Island flag registration ran aground on a rocky reefs in Mexico's Sea of Cortez five nautical miles South-East of Porto Escondido on the afternoon of Monday March 14.  Vixit was transiting from Loreto to Lo Paz when it hit the Piedras del Camaroncito which translate to Little Shrimp rocks.  The grounding is reported to have pinched three holes to Vixit among other damage to the propellers, rudders, and stabilizers.  The plan is to re-float the super yacht and take her further South to Mazatlan for repairs.

M/y Vixit is a 52.76 meter build by Swedeship in 1988 to a design and naval architecture by Diana Yacht Design from Holland and interiors by Arleen Dvorine.  Build of steel and aluminium it accommodates twelve guests in six cabins, and carries a crew of up to fifteen.  Vixit is the largest super yacht build by Swedeship who build four super yachts, three of which made in the eighties and one in the 1950s.

Stolen Azimut Yacht Havoc in Newport

A stolen eighteen meter Azimut motor yacht created havoc and extensive damage to about half a dozen of boats in Newport Beach Harbour to the South of Los Angeles, on ten o'clock local time the morning of Thursday tenth March. This was a lucky accident with a lady who was relaxing on a fourteen meter sailing yacht coming out only slightly injured.  Considering that the eighteen meter motor yacht literally went atop the sail yacht, destroying its mast in the process this was lucky indeed.  There was also a centre console who took a full hit and damage, while a recently purchased classic wood Tollycraft also sustained damage before the Azimut crashed into a seawall and finally stopped.  Police arrested the thief who now is accused of boat theft and stolen possession, and forty minutes before was reported doing vandalism on the Pacific Coast highway.  News reports have said this Azimut motor yacht was purchased new in August 2021, and was having some work on the marina, when the thief literally went aboard and started his senseless joyride.

The Azimut in this damage is the 60 Flybridge model released in 2017 to a design of Stefano Righini and offering a three double cabins three heads layout. The Azimut 60 Flybridge is powered by twin Volvo 900hp engines which allow her to reach speeds up to 31 knots.  The Azimut 60 Flybridge is still in production as at 2022.  The damaged Tollycraft, last boat to be hit by this crazy stolen ride is a Custom 37 build in 1960 of wood.

Unfortunate Sunseeker Burns Down in Cabo San Lucas

In an unfortunate accident a twenty meter Sunseeker motor yacht went up in flames in Cabo San Lucas just in-front of the marina entrance during a private fire-works display on late night of 26 February.  The Sunseeker yacht was unattended during the fire, which was set by fire-works remains falling on the flybridge canopy.  Life witnesses say the canopy burned in about seven minutes, with all the yacht burning down in less to three hours.  No fire-fighting crew arrived on the scene with the motor yacht fully burning down and becoming a total wreck.  Yacht owners from the area are calling for the danger these private display fire-works have, seeing that no safety zones are created, and that no fire fighting boat is located nearby.  

The Sunseeker in this fire is a Manhattan 63 produced from 2010 up to 2014.  Based on the Manhattan 60 it replaced extended in length and a redesigned layout, the 63 offers four double cabins with an aft crew cabin, and is powered by twin Man 1000 or 1200hp with line shafts or Volvo 900hp with IPS pod propulsion.  The 63 was replaced by the Manhattan 65 in 2014.

Super Yacht Collides Into Floating Dock in Carrara

A super yacht of 48 meters in length M/Y Crocus collided in a floating dock while doing manoeuvring duties in the harbour of Marina di Carrara, in North Tuscany on the morning of 25th February. No one was injured during the incident, with Crocus being unofficially reported to having throttle response problems.  The Coast Guard of Carrara is investigating the collision.

M/Y Crocus is an Admiral 48m of the Atos range launched in the fall of 2020.  The Admiral 48m Atos is designed by Gian Marco Campanino head designer of the Italian Sea Group which besides Admiral, also owns Tecnomar, and its recent latest acquisition of Perini Navi and Picchiotti.  The 48m Atos offers four decks, with an accommodation of eleven guests in five cabins, and ten crew in six cabins.  Power comes from twin Cats 1901hp with top speeds up to seventeen knots, and a cruise of sixteen.   

Super Yacht Ends Aground in Grenada

A 27 meter super yacht titled m/y Neeven with British flag ended aground in Carchuna Beach, Motril, Grenada on Wednesday February ninth 2022.  The yacht was en-route from Puerto Banus to Almeria, when a technical engine problem forced it to finish beached in Carchuna.  The crew of the yacht which was reported to be the French owner and his family where rescued by Maritime Rescue, National Police, and Guardia Civil Maritime Service after being trapped onboard for five hours, and transferred to a hotel.  After this the owner apparently left the hotel, refusing along with his insurance responsibility for salvage, following this the ownership was transferred to Maritime Captaincy, who started working to remove it from the beach with Salvatore Maritimo.  On February eleven Salvatore Maritimo started to remove fuel and other pollutants from Neeven, with the yacht full cleaned on the fifteenth, and towed by SAR Mastelero to Motril on Friday eighteen February.  The faith of Neeven is now in the hands of Maritime Captaincy who will decide whether to auction or scrap the super yacht.

M/y Neeven is a fully alumimium build 27 meter Van Mill, build in Holland 1986 to a design by Antonio Maggini with naval architecture by Mulder.  Van Mill is an obscure Dutch ship building name, who debuted in 1986 with Neeven, and build two other 43 and 25 meters super yachts in 1988 and 92 respectively.  Though this Maggini design did have five other sister hulls build by Versilcraft in Italy, and another by Heesen between 1986 and 91, with these missing that rectangle shape bulwark which joined the main deck with the flybridge.

Yacht Ends Aground in Ocracoke Island

A sixteen meter motor yacht titled Vivens Aqua under Maryland USA registry with a couple onboard, ended aground and beached on the South end of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina on the early morning 01:00 hours time of Tuesday 25 January 2022.  The yacht was just purchased from Palm Coast, Florida, and was on its delivery trip to Maryland, when it ended rudder less and then beached in the sand. No one was injured in the beaching, with the yacht proving to be a big headache to remove from the beaching.

The yacht was eventually freed from the grounding on Wednesday ninth February, after three days of work to free her from the sand, and then towed to Ocracoke Silver Lake Harbor, Morehead City boatyard for repairs. 

Vivens Aqua is a Taiwan build Novatec 55 Cockpit Motor Yacht as produced from 2000 to 06.  The Novatec 55 CMY offers a three or two double cabins with office layout, with an aft master stateroom.  The Novatec 55 Cockpit Motoryacht was replaced by the 55 Islander in 2007.

Super Yacht Utopia Hits and Sinks Tanker Ship

A 63 meter super yacht, motor yacht Utopia IV collided with and sank a 49 meter gas tanker, motor vessel Tropic Breeze approximately fifteen miles to the North West of New Providence Island in the Bahamas on 24th December at around 2200 hours.  Utopia IV was in charter duty and is reported to have hit and pierced Tropic Breeze at the stern.  The seven crew members of Tropic Breeze where rescued by motor yacht Amara who happened to be in the vicinity of the collision.  With the impact Utopia IV sustained bow damage and was reported taking on water, and following this was escorted by the Harbour Patrol Unit to Prince George Wharf in Nassau harbour.  

Utopia IV is a 63 meter fully custom 2018 built Rossinavi, hull number FR031 build in aluminium to a design by Enrico Gobbi TeamForDesign and naval architecture by Arrabito.  Rossinavi FR031 can accommodate twelve guests in six cabins, with thirteen crew in seven cabins.  She is powered by quadruple MTU 2600hp engines with Rolls Royce water jet propulsion which allow her to reach top speeds of 33 knots, a fast cruise of 26, and an economic long range twelve knots which allows to cover up to 3600 nautical miles before a refuel is needed.  Utopia IV is a multi award winning super yacht for its design and engineering feats.

The super yacht Amara which rescued the seven crew of the 49 meter tanker, is a 1986 55.1 meter Feadship hull number #634 built of steel with an aluminium super structure, and designed by Frits de Voogt naval architecture and exterior, and Mauro Micheli who did the latest refit to the interior, which was originally designed by Terrence Disdale.  Amara offers accommodation for ten guests in five staterooms, and thirteen crew in seven cabins.  Powered by twin Deutz 1455hp engines she reaches top speeds up to sixteen knots, a cruise of fourteen, and an economic long range of twelve which allows for up to seven thousands nautical miles before refuelling.  Amara was launched as M/Y Cacique.

Collision in Cannes Boat Show 2022

A collision between a new Ecoline Sport Cruiser of eight meters in length and a Van der Valk of sixteen meters happened at the Cannes boat show on the afternoon of seven September, thankfully with no consequences onboard to both the persons of the eight meter sport cruiser and the sixteen meter sport yacht.  Big shock onboard the smaller sport cruiser who had three persons onboard and got most of the damage, being hit astern. Apart cosmetic and structural damage, the Ecolux sport cruiser also damaged its hybrid module and had to cancel the boat show.  The Van der Valk had small cosmetic damage to its bow area.  

The boats in this accident are the new Ecoline Ecolux 850 and the Van der Valk California 52.  The first is a sport cruiser of eight meters in length available among other propulsion also with a patented diesel electric hybrid propulsion by FNM called BlueHybridSystem.  The second is the custom Van der Valk California 52, build on order of Dutch company Waterdream, to a design of Vripack.

Classic Super Yacht Collides into Rock

An Alalunga classic super yacht of 26 meters in size collided on the island of Proti at 0300 of the morning of seven September.  With only the four crew onboard, no injuries are reported to this terrific accident, beside the yacht which received extensive damage to its bow.  Some reports are claiming the yacht was cruising at about twelve knots.  The island of Proti is one of the further Southern located of the Greek Ionian islands.  The yacht was miraculously saved from sinking and taken further South to Pilos, made possible thanks to a very good water tight forward bulkhead I add.

This Alalunga is a 26 mt model, designed by Aldo Cichero build in around the early eighties.  The Alalunga 26 offered a four double cabins lower deck, and with standard engines usually reached speed in the high twenties.  The Alalunga 26 is a further development of the 24 model released in 1973, which then developed to the 25 in the mid seventies.  The 26 is recognizable by the more rounded forward windshield, and no circle shaped port-holes on the topside.  

Alalunga where build by Cantieri Navali Santa Margherita, founded by Mario Spertini in 1961, and is renowned for the seaworthiness and nice lines of its yachts, build of wood up until the mid nineties.  Eventually when the yard entered fiberglass building in the mid nineties, the fast fiberglass models where named as Spertini Alalunga, while the Santa Marina yachts which still build of wood and steel was sold to Diano.  Currently the yard is closed, but this name which has its roots in Lavagna, to the South of Genova is one of the important historical Italian marques which gave shape and school of design to the modern motor yacht.

Horizon Super Yacht Collides in Ponza

A Horizon super yacht of 27 meters called m/y Main Time with six persons onboard collided with the Ponza water carrying tanker ship m/v Cesare on the morning of fourteen August at around 0230 in the morning, four nautical miles away from the Ponza harbour.  The Horizon super yacht collided with the 69 meter water carrying tanker on its starboard side, suffering extensive damage from hull to top side, and causing it to partly sink.  The six persons onboard where saved by the tanker ship, and then questioned by the Ponza coast guard on the cause of the accident.  The Horizon super yacht was towed in shallower water to avoid total sinking, and on the nineteen and twenty August was re-floated and towed to Gaeta, where it was lifted up in a boat yard.  Main Time was traveling Gaeta to Ponza at the time of the accident, while Cesare was doing the opposite route. 

The super yacht in this accident is a Horizon Elegance 88 measuring 27 meter in length and build in 2003.  Designed by the Taiwan builder design office with collaboration from Tommaso Spadolini the Horizon Elegance 88 is a two and half deck raised pilot house super yacht, and offered accommodation of four double guest cabins sleeping eight.  The Horizon Elegance 88 featured a semi displacement hull and powered by twin 1500hp MTU reached top speeds up to about twenty knots and a cruise of fifteen.  The Horizon Elegance 88 was produced from 2002 up to 2005, with the model first evolving into the 94 Dynasty, then the 97 RP, and in 2019 into the RP100 model.  The Elegance 88, 94 Dynasty, RP97, and 100 series has today produced over thirty units.

Zirri Reef Partially Sinks Sunseeker

The Zirri reef in the South East of Palmarola hits again on the evening of tenth August partially sinking a twenty meter Sunseeker Predator sport yacht.  The details of the accident are unknown, with this picture being copy pasted from a viral video shown on social media. The Zirri reefs are famous for always taking someone out every Summer, possibly due for being visually unmarked, and located about a quarter of a nautical mile away from the mainland of Palmarola.  From this picture looks like the running gear, which is in most cases the deepest part of most motor boats was hit, and created a hole.  Information says that the Predator 68 was salvaged and is in a yard in Ponza.

The Sunseeker in this accident is a Predator 68 produced from 2001 to 2005 and designed as all the Poole based builder boats till about 2010 by Don Shead.  The Predator 68 has very similar high performance exterior looks to the Predator 75 which launched in 1999. For the performance reason the models where rather iconic and still popular today.  The Predator 68 offered a three double cabin interior, with a forward master room, and a saloon and galley in between the cabins.  The Predator 68 was powered by twin Man 1300hp engines with later models having the 1360hp engines, which gave top speeds up to 34 knots.