Super Yacht Irmao Burns Down in Formentera

Motor yacht Irmao, a 27 meter super yacht with seventeen people onboard, five crew and twelve guests who was anchored off Formentera burned down and eventually was totalled and sank as a wreck, on 18:00 hours of Saturday twelfth August.  Irmao had a fire develop in the engine room, before it engulfed all the yacht, with it sinking at 21:00 hours near Punta de Sa Pedrera, in the North East of the Island.  The guests and crew where reportedly saved by nearby boats and yachts, with one of the crew members suffering minor burn and requiring hospital treatment.  The yacht was towed by the motor vessel Acrux, which came from Mallorca before it sank at Punta Sa Pedrera under tow.  

Reported as owned by professional poker player Diego Gomez Gonzalez, m/y Irmao was offered for charter at 53,000 euros in this time of the year.  The yacht was reported last refitted in 2020.  Irmao burned just one year and one day in a near by spot of the 45 meter Aria SF.

M/y Irmao previously named B3 is a 1995 Astondoa 90 GLX, as designed by Nuvolari Lenard for both exterior and interior, and produced from 1995 to 1997 in two units.  The Astondoa 90 GLX evolved into the 95GLX this selling in ten units.  The 90 GLX was the first of Nuvolari Lenard Astondoa ten years collaboration, as the Venice duo designed the whole fleet of the Spanish yacht builder.

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.

Aicon Yacht Ends Aground in Greek Ithaki Island

A nineteen meter Aicon motor yacht with seven persons onboard ended aground in Agios Nikoloas, in the North East of Ithaki Island at about 12:00 hours of eleven August.  It is not reported if the yacht was cruising in the Marmagas sea, or ended aground while at anchor in near Agios Nikoloas.  A patrol boat was immediately dispatched in the area, first taking the seven passenger aboard the flybridge yacht to safety, and subsequently organizing motor vessel Dimitra for the towing of the yacht to the harbour of Lefkada, for inspection and repairs.  No pollution was reported from the grounding.

The yacht in this grounding is an Aicon 64 Fly as designed by Marco Mannino with naval architecture by Sergio Cutolo, and produced from 2004 to 2012 selling in over thirty units.  Reopening in 2019 Aicon actually started by evolving the 64 in the new Sergio Cutolo designed 66 Vivere.

Sport Yacht Aground Near Porto Rotondo in Sardinia

A seventeen meter Alfamarine sport yacht ended aground in Cala Sabina to the South of Porto Rotondo on the late morning of eleven August.  The Alfamarine yacht departed Porto Rotondo and hit the reef to port side during its entry to Cala Sabina.  The sport yacht was later assisted by a private yacht yard, and towed for repairs. The damage to the yacht was not reported extensive, with water intrusion coming from a slipped damaged shaft entry.

The Alfamarine in this grounding is the 55 as designed by Franco Harrauer and produced from 1990 to 1994 in five units.  The Alfamarine 55 was evolved and replaced by the 58 with a redesigned stern and radar arch and still offered as build to order today.  The hull of the 55 was also used for the tri-engines record breaking one off fast 65, and the still produced 60.

New Launch: Columbus Custom 50M

Columbus Yachts, a brand of Palumbo Superyachts, is pleased to announce the launch of m/y Anjelif, a new 50-metre full custom built entirely in aluminium.  This 50m Columbus Custom is the seventh super yacht launched by Columbus, tailor made to the needs of her experienced owner and packed with technical and stylistic innovations like the hybrid, diesel-electric propulsion. Furthermore, this superyacht makes use of two distinct and highly advanced technologies: one through the application of cold plasma for the sanitization of air coming from outside and used both for ventilation and air conditioning; the other one dedicated to room sanitization at pre-set intervals to ensure daily safety. The first guarantees the efficient elimination of airborne viruses and bacteria in the incoming airstream, while the second automates the sanitization of each internal area of the boat. Exteriors and interiors are by Marco Casali of Too-Design while the engineering is by the Palumbo Superyachts team. The interior design has been rigorously developed with natural and ecological materials and includes a gym on the main deck, a sauna, massage room. The swimming pool in the transom with exposed teak finish is of very scenic effect, while a second Jacuzzi is located on the top deck. At the bow, we find a functional zone complete with sunbathing area and a touch & go helicopter docking platform which can be eventually transformed into an open-air cinema. The layout includes 4 decks, with the master cabin positioned on the main deck forward and 4 double cabins below deck. The crew is made up of eleven members accommodated in seven cabins. Columbus Custom 50m has a 499 GT gross tonnage and can reach a maximum speed of 20 knots with a range of 3000 nautical miles at 12 knots. The diesel engine system includes twin MTU 2636hp each, while twin 175 kW Kohler generators make up for the electric one. The hybrid system, developed thanks to the consolidated experience of Palumbo Superyachts in this specific field, provides for the possibility of using two electric motors in diesel-electric propulsion with a power of 100 kW each for a speed of approximately 9 knots. The electric motors coupled with the propulsion motors, can in turn be used as shaft generators, allowing navigation with the gen-sets off. A latest generation lithium battery pack is used as electricity back-up, avoiding any possibility of blackout during the transient phases. Columbus Custom 50m will have its world premiere at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023.

Technical Data:

LOA - 49.9 m (163.7ft) 

Beam - 9.05 m

Draft - 

Displacement - 499 gt *volume

Accommodation - ten guests in five cabins, eleven crew in seven cabins

Engines - 2 x MTY 16V2000 M96L 2636hp

Propulsion - line shafts

Speed - twenty knots max, twelve cruise, nine knots on electric propulsion

Range - 3000 nautical miles at twelve knots

Construction - aluminium

Project - Marco Casali exterior and interior, Palumbo engineering

Certification - RINA class

www.columbusyachts.it

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.