Flybridge Yacht with Nine People Burns Down in Gorgona

A sixteen meter flybridge yacht with nine persons onboard, six adults and three kids burned down to the South of Gorgona island, in the North Tyrennian sea on 13:00 hours of tenth August. The nine persons departed Marina di Pisa direction Capraia island for the weekend when half way into the trip the flybridge yacht went ablaze.  The helmsman of the yacht called for assistance and put himself and the guests onboard the life-raft, before then being assisted by the Italian Guardia Costeria boat and a fire fighters rib.  No success in turning off the fire with the flybridge yacht wreck sinking at about 14:30 hours in a depth of about 135 meters.  No fuel and oil sea pollution was reported from the fire and sinking.

This fire wrecked flybridge yacht was a Raffaelli 52 Maestrale as designed by Nuvolari Lenard and produced from 1995 till 2010 in over one hundred units.  The 52 Maestrale was the only collaboration with the Venice design studio by Raffaelli.  The 52 Maestrale was a replacement to the Ouragan mt. 15.50, and was never really replaced, as Raffaelli went in financial difficulties in 2010.  Raffaelli presented a Maestrale 56 project some years ago which never materialized.

Maiora Yacht Ends Aground in Saint-Florent

A twenty meter Maiora motor yacht ended aground in Saint-Florent, to the North of Corsica on the morning of tenth August.  The causes of the accident are not reported but some reports are saying the yacht ending on the reef at about ten knots.  The yacht was later in the day protected with an oil boon for pollution control as it tipped more to its starboard side, and then taken to a nearby yard for repairs.  

The yacht in this grounding is a Maiora 20 as designed by Roberto del Re and produced from 1992 till about 2012.  A custom made to order flybridge motor yacht the 20 was Maiora's best success for the Viareggio based builder founded in 1971, as it dominated the high end twenty meter size with its modern yet clean looks.  Over eighty units of Maiora 20 and the 20S longer stern version from 2000 has been produced.

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.

Nordhavn Hits Reef Capsizes and Sinks

A fourteen meter Nordhavn explorer cruiser hit a reef capsized and then sank in 45NW Vancouver, Canada on the morning of nine August.  It was a sad turn of events and a bit unfortunate for the explorer cruiser, which after hitting its bottom, rolled to its starboard side, capsized and then sank.  The explorer cruiser was a day later recovered by a barge ship and taken to Campbell River to one of the yards in the area for a big repair.  

The Nordhavn in this sinking is a 47 as produced from 2002 to 2009 in 59 units.  The Nordhavn 47 was a replacement to the 46, with the model evolving into the 52 via length extension in 2009.

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 as designed by Bernard Olesinski and produced from 1990 up to 1994 named as 43 in the last two years of production.  The 41/43 was replaced by the Fairline Squadron 43.

Baja Powerboat Destroyed by Fire in Hilton Beach

A nine meter Baja powerboat went up in flames in Hilton Beach, Canada around 17:00 hours of Tuesday eight August.  The powerboat owners jumped in the water as they saw fire building up, with the powerboat then drifting for about one nautical miles to West of the village and ending aground.  Fire fighters from Hitlon Beach responded to the blaze, and managing to turning it off in about twenty minutes.  The accident happened just before Hilton Beach celebrated its 100th anniversary at the annual community night.  No one was injured in the fire.

The Baja powerboat in this fire is the 30 Outlaw model as produced from 2004 and till 2012, then evolving into the 30 Outlaw GT and stopped in production in 2017.  The Baja 30 Outlaw replaced the 29 Outlaw which was introduced in 1997.

Project: Evo Yachts R+ 18m

Just two years after Evo Yachts launched its V8 flagship and revolutionised the concept of cruising, the Italian Naples boat and yacht builder is getting ready to delight fans again with a new model, Evo R+, an innovative eighteen meter sport yacht designed again by Valerio Rivellini and to World premiere at the Cannes boat show 2023 from twelve to seventeen September. The Evo R+ looks based on the R6 series, this is indeed the third version of the eighteen meter model, showing the Campania-based shipyard desire to amaze and appeal to an even wider audience, by designing a sport yacht with eye-catching styling that is also ideal for long stays on board, thanks to outstanding levels of comfort and reliability ensured by the closed deck and generous headroom in the interiors. The Evo R+ presents an aluminium top in black and angular design with a special stern platform that makes it easy to enter the water and to launch and haul up a tender or jet ski. The Evo R+ will feature interiors decorated with sophisticated materials and feature the R line’s signature pared-down, sporty style and dynamism. Evo Yachts has not given much technical details for the R+, but the R6 is offered in two or three cabins layout and is powered by twin Volvo 600hp or optional 725hp units with IPS pod drives.

www.evoyachts.com

Two Killed Three Injured in Long Beach Boat Fire

A fire involving a ten metre sport cruiser at 200 Block of Marina Drive in Long Beach, Alamitos Bay in California on Saturday sixth August at around 17:00 hours local time killed two woman, and injured three persons.  The boat was reported as just finishing to refuel when it exploded.  Long Beach fire fighters with help from Orange County fire Authority extinguished the blaze. The case of the fire and explosion is under investigation by Long Beach Fire Department.

The sport cruiser in this fire is a Regal 3760 Commodore as produced from 2007 to 2009.  The 3760 Commodore is an evolution of the 3560, recognizable by the radar arch with hard-top.  The 3760 was replaced by the Regal 35 Sports Coupe in 2011.

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 as designed by Stefano Righini for exterior and Carlo Galeazzi for interior from 2005 till 2009.  the 55 Evo was a soft evolution of the standard 55 with differences in interior woods, and midships cabin windows, what 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.

New Model: Sea Ray Sundancer 370

Even though the demand of the North American market is asking a different product, Sea Ray still tries to build, even though in a small part what has been its success story, that for a medium sized sport cruiser.  Here comes the Sea Ray Sundancer 370 which debuted in 2022 first in outboard version, and now offered in the more pure to the eye inboard stern drive variant.  The Sundancer 370 is the pure evolution of the Sea Ray brand, with an innovative asymmetric main deck layout, which offers walk around features from bow to stern.  Down below the Sundancer 370 offers an open plan layout sleeping four in a forward Vee shaped berth, L-shaped lounger, and a double berth at midships with a galley and shower head to starboard.  A traditional American sport cruiser layout.  The Sea Ray Sundancer 370 is powered by twin Mercruiser gas engines 430hp with stern drives, the only available option which gives a nice 38 knots top speed and a limited 135 nautical mile range at 33 knots cruising.  Diesel does not look an option which is a poor way to put an eleven meter sport cruiser in the market today.  Decisions by upper management are not always understood, sometimes looking more made to kill a product rather then revive it.  

Technical Data:

LOA - 11.48 m (37.8ft)

Hull Length - 11.3 m

Beam - 3.66 m

Draft - 0.79 m without drives, 1.07 m with drives down

Displacement - 9435 kg dry, 10739 kg loaded with full options

Fuel Capacity - 966 l

Water Capacity - 174 l

Accommodation - four berths berths

Engines - 2 x Mercruiser 8.2L Mag Ho ECT 430hp

Propulsion - Mercruiser Bravo ThreeX

Speed - 38 knots max 33 cruise

Range - 135 nm at cruise

Hull Shape - modified Deep Vee with twenty degrees deadrise

Certification - CE 

www.searay.com