Storm in Block Island Creates Havoc, Two Boats End Beached

A strong squall which developed in the evening of Thursday third July in Block Island, Rhode Island, created havoc for boaters anchored at Great Salt Pond, intended to enjoy a long weekend break to celebrates the July Fourth United States of America Independence Day.  The storm peaked wind gusts up to fifty knots, and waves up to two meters in the bay as videos on various social media platforms show numerous boats dragging anchor and soft colliding on each other.  Ultimately no one was reported grievously injured and only two boats ended beached, which considering the storm intensity and tens of boats and yachts all anchored or swing moored at close proximity to each other it was a lucky outcome, also thanks to the harbour master who was there assisting and saving the boats and yachts with his rib.  

A nine meter sport cruiser ended beached, with a sailing yacht of about ten meters in length finishing in the same position a couple meters away.

Project: Baia Magnifica 112

Having restarted its new course in 2024, as it launched the new Magnifica 84, Baia continues to look forward and presents the project for the Magnifica 112.  The Magnifica 112 will be the largest Baia ever build, which since its return seems interested to focus on the larger size super sport yachts, above 24 meters, but also a name return since Baia produced the Magnifica 73 in between 1998 to 2001.  Magnifica 112 will feature a sport bridge layout, with a fully enclosed main deck, and a five stateroom layout below deck.  The Baia Magnifica 112 is to be powered by triple MTU 2683hp with jet propulsion, for top speed up to fifty knots and a cruise of forty.

www.baiayacht.com

New Model: Sasga Menorquin 35 HT

Sasga present the new Menorquin 35 HT, which continues the renewal of the range which started with the Menorquin 55 in early 2024. A soft evolution of the Sasga 34 which arrived in 2016, the entry level gets extended in length, added with more hull windows. Other differences for the new baby entry level Sasga Menorquin 35 is also the mast, now located at the end of the hard-top. The Sasga Menorquin 35 accommodation offers a living and galley on the main deck, with the two cabins below deck; master forward and guest at midships served by a shower head to port side. The Sasga Menorquin 35 HT is powered by twin Volvo 270hp with line shaft propulsion, which give 23 knots top speed and a cruise of nineteen.

Technical Data:

LOA - 10.53 m (34.5ft)

Hull Length - 9 m

Beam - 3.80 m

Draft - 1.10 m with props

Displacement - 9 t light

Fuel Capacity - 650 l

Water Capacity - 350 l

Accommodation - 4 + 2 berths in 2 cabins and convertible dinette

Engines - 2 x Volvo D4 270hp

Propulsion - line shaft

Speed - 23 knots max, 19 knots fast cruise

Project - Barracuda Yacht Design

Certification - CE A

www.sasgayachts.com

Project: Riva Aquariva Special 10.07 m

Riva present the latest Aquariva version with this new Aquariva Special set to come later this 2025 year.  Including the special editions, the Aquariva Special is the seventh Aquariva version, and replaces the Aquariva Super which arrived in 2010.  A long going success the first Aquariva arrived in 2000 and this was replaced by the Super.  In these years the Aquariva had four other special editions; the Aquariva Cento which arrived in 2006 and marking the one hundred hulls produced in ten units, special Aquariva Gucci and Aquariva by Marc Newson arrived in 2010 and celebrating the decade of production, and last the Anniversario which arrived in 2022.  Like the Aquariva Super which it will replace, this new Aquariva Special will have subtle differences to its predecessor, but this time around it is less subtle if you look well.  

www.riva-yacht.com

Fairline Cruiser Saved from Fire in Formentera

A fourteen meter Fairline sport cruiser with German flag was saved from a fire scare as it was anchored at S'Espalmador islet, to the North of Formentera on the afternoon of Tuesday first July.  The boat was first assisted by nearby boaters as Palma Maritime Rescue Coordination Center was alerted of the fire and deployed the Salvamar Naos to the scene, who managed to control the fire.  The fire was reported to have originated from a mechanical failure to an engine.  The number of persons onboard the sport cruiser was not reported at the time of the fire, as was not the extent of the damage.

The Fairline in this fire is a Targa 47 GT as designed inhouse and by Bernard Olesinski and produced from 2005 to 2010 in 200 units.  The Targa 47 GT was a replacement to the Targa 43, and was replaced by the Fairline Targa 48 Open.

San Lorenzo Super Yacht Collides Into Es Puyols Reef, Formentera

The 64 meter Sanlorenzo super yacht, m/y Attila under Cayman Islands flag collided into the shoal known as Sa Roqueta, just off Ses Canyes, near Es Puyols, to the East of Formentera at 14:30 of Tuesday first July.  The yacht was stuck to the shoal after the collision, as a recovery crew was trying to tow her slowly and carefully away from the semi-submerged reef.  Despite the collision no enviromental damage was reported, with the yacht free'd from the area the following morning. The cause of the collision is not reported, though an error of navigation is the most speculabile cause.

M/y Attila is a 2019 build Sanlorenzo, the first unit of the semi custom 64 Steel series designed by Mauro Micheli's Officina Italiana for exteriors and delivered in three units.  The 64 Steel is to date the largest Sanlorenzo yacht, although a 74 Steel which will arrive this year will change that.

One Injured as Boat Explodes in Yellowknife, Canada

One man was grievously injured as a drive in stored boat on a trailer of about seven meters in length exploded in 54th Street and 52nd Avenue at Yellowknife, to the North West of Canada, on 02:10 early morning time of Tuesday first July. Royal Canadian Mounted Police attended the scene after receiving various telephone calls about the explosion, and found a person lying on the ground near the remains of a boat that was destroyed in the explosion, who was flown to a hospital in Yellowknife for treatment. Debris from the boat was strewn across the road and neighbouring properties, and hanging from nearby trees, with the explosion causing important damage to a nearby garage. According to initial investigation the boat exploded as the man was huffing propane inside the vessel. The man was reported to be injured in critical condition.

Two Injured in Classic Boat Fire in Orange Beach, Alabama

Two men were injured as a classic eight meter cabin cruiser titled m/y Andiamoi exploded first and went ablaze later at Safe Harbor Sportsman Marina, Orange Beach, Alabama at 16:17 of Monday thirtieth June. Orange Beach Fire and Rescue Team responded to the blaze, which seem controlled by the initial efforts, only for it to ignite again with the boat drifting, at which it hit another charter boat, lightly damaging it with small smoke damage.  Ultimately the fire took 25 minutes to extinguish after which the classic boat partly sank, bow up and the rest of it underwater. The two men were taken to Baldwin Health Freestanding Emergency Department in Gulf Shores suffering of minor injuries. According to initial investigation the boat may have exploded from short circuiting blowers, which added with the vapours of petrol gas led to the explosion and subsequent fire.

The boat in this fire is a Trojan F-30 Sport Cruiser, as produced from 1974. The F-30 was a replacement to the F-30 Sea Raider, which featured a fiberglass hull and wooden super structure, and was replaced by the Trojan F-32 Express.

Bayesian Lifting Operation

The famous 56 meter super sailing sloop Bayesian which stole the headlines in nineteen August and following days and weeks, has finally been floated again on Saturday 21 June, and then dry-docked on Sunday 22 June in nearby Termini Imerese.   An operation which started on first May and took fifty days to complete, for a lifting operation which saw Hebo-Lift 2 and Hebo-Lift 10 involved, take the record breaking x-largest mast super yacht up from its wreckage point fifty meters down from the sea bed, and rumoured to cost around thirty million Euros.  This lifting operation aims to put a clearer picture on those early hours of nineteen August, and how this World cruising super yacht sank so fast while at anchor, taking the lives of the owner Mike Lynch, his daughter, four other guests, and the yacht's chef.

The Bayesian lifting operation also took a life, as on the ninth May a 39 year old diver lost his life during wreckage inspection.  Because of this, it was an operation that took longer then anticipated, and was fully completed on the 25 June, when the famous aluminium made 72 meter long mast was taken near the yacht's wreck after being lifted the day before.  Interestingly the yacht was still in okay condition, with the hull reported to be fully intact.  You could actually refit it, and she will sail again.  Something which I believe will never happen, considering the pain all this sinking brought, she will most probably be scrapped after the investigation is completed.  

It will be now interesting what the outcome will be, and a decision of blame will come.  The Maritime Accidents Investigation Report had provided an outcome of its own, saying that the stability book did not cover the yacht's vulnerabilities with certain weather, and if it was hit by 63 knots of wind or greater at right angle, with its center board closed the yacht could capsize and sink in a short time once it goes beyond an angle of seventy degrees.

The Bayesian went down first and foremost for a few things all coming together and make the perfect storm for it to sink and create this tragedy.  The crew not anticipating such a strong storm, the stability book not showing the yachts vulnerabilities, with this putting both Perini Navi and Ron Holland in the cross fire of the investigation, but also the class and the flag of the yacht.  Yacht Builders and designers do comply with the regulations given in reality.  In hind sight the regulation side should have asked for more, considering the record size of the mast, and the difference of the project versus the other 56 meters sister ships.  

Probably the primary lesson from this, is that much more with extreme projects, being it a super yacht, cruise liner, or a commercial ship, the regulatory side has to think beyond.  Navigation institutes had a lesson in this with the most famous wreckage of them all, the m/v Titanic which took about 1500 lives as it went down in the Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg during navigation in 12 April 1912.  While we learned a lot of lessons from that tragedy of more then a century ago, it is interesting how we keep on coming back to the next fail of sea safety.

Lightning Struck Sea Ray Goes Ablaze on Logan Martin Lake, Alabama

Four persons were injured as a seven meter Sea Ray cruiser went ablaze after it was struck by lightning on Logan Martin Lake in the area of Pirate Island, Alabama at 15:28 of Sunday 29 June.  Pell City Fire responded to the blaze, with the boaters helped first by nearby boaters, who took them the shore near Skyline Drive in Pell City, with the nineteen year old helmsman taken to UAB Hospital suffering from grievous fire injuries.  The three other boat occupants were treated on the shoreline suffering minor injuries.  Ultimately the Sea Ray sport cruiser was wrecked by the fire and sank.

The Sea Ray in this fire is a second generation 240 Overnighter as produced from 1994 to 1997.  The 240 Overnighter was a replacement to the Sea Ray 230 Cuddy, and was replaced by the 230 Overnighter.