Italy - Sailing yacht sank off Italian coast, 15 rescued, 7 missing, 19 August 2024

[Dotta]

IMO
the furniture in whatever boat/yacht should be light and screwed to the floor.

Otherwise,
in such terrible situation,
they move rapidly and block the passages trapping people and hinder rescuers.

They can even crush the passengers.

Also, the aluminum mast broke too easily IMO.

What a tragedy
We must never underestimate Nature.

JMO

 

[Ruthbullock]

IMO
the furniture in whatever boat/yacht should be light and screwed to the floor.

Otherwise,
in such terrible situation,
they move rapidly and block the passages trapping people and hinder rescuers.

They can even crush the passengers.

Also, the aluminum mast broke too easily IMO.

What a tragedy
We must never underestimate Nature.

JMO

I think most is, I wonder if it was the beds that have slid, as they are often not attached as some guests want doubles and others singles on charter yachts, so they need to be moveable.

 

[Ruthbullock]

I think most is, I wonder if it was the beds that have slid, as they are often not attached as some guests want doubles and others singles on charter yachts, so they need to be moveable.

I suppose you also have items like suitcases and mattresses, bedding that can’t physically be attached that in the event of a tipping boat will slide and become very heavy with water.

 

[Dotta]

I suppose you also have items like suitcases and mattresses, bedding that can’t physically be attached that in the event of a tipping boat will slide and become very heavy with water.

As I once nearly drowned in the placid sea
I have utmost respect for bodies of water now.
They can turn deadly in the split of a second

 

[Baby baby Jane]

IMO
the furniture in whatever boat/yacht should be light and screwed to the floor.

Otherwise,
in such terrible situation,
they move rapidly and block the passages trapping people and hinder rescuers.

They can even crush the passengers.

Also, the aluminum mast broke too easily IMO.

What a tragedy
We must never underestimate Nature.

JMO

Agree, most stuff is in fixed position. But ornaments, chairs, suitcases, laptop, mattress, pillows, bedding, bottles, glasses will be lose. It’s a luxury ship, not likely plastic wine glasses!
At anchor, a storm surge/swell, could swamp ship as it’s at a fixed maximum position vs swell, wind pulls it over, again because it’s fixed due to anchor and now swamped with buoyancy compromised.
Similar to news reports from Ibiza last week where sailboats at anchor in shallow water during daylight were swamped/sunk from storm surge. The ships did not rise with the swell of water and filled with water. No one expecting the extreme of weather.

 

[Rikissa]

I think most is, I wonder if it was the beds that have slid, as they are often not attached as some guests want doubles and others singles on charter yachts, so they need to be moveable.

I would guess that the beds, as well as other heavy funiture were bolted down, as this was a sailing yacht, and could tilt in rough seas. It would be dangerous for the balance of the boat if all heavy furniture was to slide to the same side during a storm.

That all the members of the crew survived (except the chef who was found in the water) I would guess they were awake and working up on deck due to the poor weather. Most likely also those surviving passengers were up and awake.

 

[Tortoise]

15 (presumably 14 plus the baby) managed to fit into a lifeboat designed for 12.


39m ago18:39

Pictured: Life raft that saved survivors​

The life raft on which survivors are understood to have escaped the sinking yacht has been pictured in the harbour at Porticello in Sicily.
Earlier, Karsten Borner, the captain of a boat that came to their aide, described how he and his crew found the raft with 15 survivors inside and brought them to his ship until help arrived.
He described the situation as "awful and traumatic" for those involved - you can read his comments in full in our post at 10.55am.

Superyacht sinks latest: Survivor 'spared by grace of God' - as rescued crew members named

 

[Tortoise]

19m ago19:00

'Big question mark over how this happened'​

There is a "big question mark" over how the superyacht sunk, the editor-in-chief of BOAT International has told Sky News.
Stewart Campbell said "nothing like this had happened before" in his recollection.
"These boats are built extremely tough. They are built to take on the biggest seas the ocean can throw at them," he said.
"Big volume aluminium boats are very capable. So the fact that a boat like Bayesian can sink in a storm like this is incredibly surprising."
He said even if a ship like this was knocked down "it should be been able to right itself".
"Even if the boat had been dismasted, theoretically the boat should have been even more stable as it would have meant less weight and the keel would then have anchored the boat more firmly in the sea.
"There are lots of questions to be answered.
"At the moment from my point of view and from the people I have spoken to, including captains of similar boats, there is a big question mark over how this happened."
The action of the boat when it was struck by the storm "would have been incredibly violent" and "it should have woken everybody up".
"The crew would have sprung into action and tried to get everyone into life rafts if they thought the boat was in danger," he said.
"We just don't know what situation the boat was in when this storm struck."

Superyacht sinks latest: Survivor 'spared by grace of God' - as rescued crew members named