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A yacht taking on water off Bangor, Northern Ireland is met by the RNLI and escorted safely into Bangor Marina

Bangor RNLI assists a man and his dog on sinking yacht north of Bangor harbour

On 19 July 2026, a yacht carrying a man and his dog began taking on water off Bangor, Northern Ireland, during a passage from Donaghadee to Belfast. Bangor RNLI's lifeboat came alongside, put a crew member aboard to check the flooding, and escorted her safely into Bangor Marina, where a salvage pump cleared the water. No one was hurt.

off Bangor harbour · Yacht2026Returned safely
verified · 2 sourcesN2
Lesson learned/Full report →
Aegean Sea, Dodecanese, off Nisyros
A sailboat takes on water and partially sinks near Nisyros; the Greek Coast Guard rescues both aboard

A half-sunk sailboat off Nisyros is found and its two crew rescued by the Greek Coast Guard

On 27 June 2026, a sailboat with two Greek nationals aboard began taking on water and partially sank near the Pergousa islet off Nisyros, Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard located the boat, recovered both people safely, and brought them to Nisyros harbour. Neither was hurt.

Sailboat2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off Cargèse, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France
Collision · Flooding · Rescue

Two catamarans collide — one is holed and flooding, and the only way to save her is to run her onto the sand

On 23 June 2026, two cruising catamarans collided in the Gulf of Cargèse, Corsica. One, a Looping 50 with three aboard, was holed and flooded faster than her pumps could keep up. The SNSM lifeboat crew took the three off and deliberately grounded her on sand to stop her sinking, then patched and refloated her the next day. No one was hurt.

off Cargèse · Sailing catamaran (Looping 50)2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Îles du Frioul, off Marseille, France
Grounding · Rescue

A sailboat with ten aboard and a dog runs aground at night on the Frioul islands off Marseille

On the night of 13-14 July 2026, a sailboat with ten people and a dog aboard ran aground on the Frioul archipelago off Marseille. The police nautical brigade reached the stranded boat and took everyone off safely, with no injuries. Details of the vessel and the cause of the grounding were not reported.

Frioul island · Sailboat2026Rescued
likely · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Kaua‘i Channel, between O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, Hawaii
Steering failure · Flooding · Rescue

A steering failure floods a catamaran off Kaua‘i — her single-hander is hoisted off minutes before she sinks

On Sunday 12 July 2026, the 35-foot recreational catamaran Alakai lost her steering and began flooding while crossing from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i. Her lone skipper reached the Coast Guard by text message, warning that she might sink. A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted him about 23 miles offshore and flew him to Līhu‘e, where he was checked and released unhurt. The catamaran sank shortly after the rescue.

Alakai · Catamaran (35 ft)2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
San Francisco Bay, California
Capsize · Rescue

A sailboat capsizes in San Francisco Bay — three in the water are saved by deputies who were training a half-mile away

About 1:30 p.m. on Sunday 12 July 2026, a sailboat capsized in San Francisco Bay roughly half a mile east of San Francisco International Airport, near Coyote Point. Three people, all Foster City residents, were left clinging to the hull. San Mateo County Sheriff's Marine Unit deputies training nearby heard the call and pulled all three from the water. They were shaken and cold but unhurt.

Coyote Point · Sailboat2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
North Pacific Ocean, southwest of the Aleutian Islands
Steering failure · Rescue

A sailboat loses her rudder 950 miles from land — three crew taken off by a multinational rescue in the North Pacific

On 18 June 2026 the 40-foot sailing vessel Mizuya lost her rudder in the open North Pacific, roughly 950 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska, and could no longer steer. With help beyond any single nation's reach, the US, Canadian and Japanese coast guards coordinated a response: the Canadian ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier diverted more than 575 miles and, around 26-27 June, took all three crew off in good condition for passage to Japan.

Mizuya · Sailing vessel (40 ft)2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Eckernförde Bay, western Baltic Sea, Germany
Capsize · Man overboard · Rescue

A thunderstorm gust capsizes a sailboat under tow and throws a couple into the dark Baltic — the lifeboat crew pulls both out

On the stormy night of 27–28 June 2026, a couple sheltered below on their sailboat, made fast to a mooring buoy in Eckernförde Bay on the western Baltic. The mooring failed and the boat drifted; a DGzRS lifeboat found them aboard and began a tow. Then a second thunderstorm hit with gusts to force 10, capsized the boat under tow, and threw both into the dark water — the lifeboat crew pulled both out unhurt within minutes.

Eckernförde Bay · Sailboat2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off southwest Faial, Azores, Portugal
Grounding · Rescue

Alone off Faial, a sailor gets his boat into trouble in the dark, climbs onto the rocks, and waits for the sea to let a lifeboat reach him

Early on 21 June 2026, a single-handed 57-year-old French sailor radioed the Azores rescue centre at about 4 a.m. with his boat in difficulty off the southwest coast of Faial, near Varadouro. He got himself off the boat and onto the rocks before help arrived, but the sea was too rough to lift him off until 8:45 a.m. A lifeboat recovered him and he was taken to hospital in Horta, exhausted but alive; the boat grounded.

off Faial · Sailboat (French-flagged)2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Chesapeake Bay entrance, Hampton Roads, Virginia
Flooding · Rescue

A sailboat with eight aboard floods off Fort Monroe before dawn — two adults, six children, all pulled to safety

Before dawn on 8 July 2026, a sailboat carrying two adults and six children began taking on water off Fort Monroe, at the mouth of the Chesapeake near Hampton, Virginia. The crew reached Hampton Police and the Coast Guard; a Hampton fire boat and the Coast Guard converged on the position around four in the morning. All eight aboard were rescued, with no injuries reported.

off Fort Monroe · Sailboat2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Strait of Georgia, Salish Sea, British Columbia
A rogue wave stove in the windows and flooded a 30-ft sailboat; she sank and both crew were recovered from the water

A rogue wave floods a sailboat off Hornby Island — a fishing skipper who heard the Mayday helps pull two from the sea

About 7 a.m. on 5 July 2026 a 30-foot sailboat was lost roughly five miles east of Hornby Island, in British Columbia's Strait of Georgia. The two men aboard said a rogue wave smashed her windows and flooded her, and she sank, leaving them in whitecapped seas. A Comox charter skipper heard their Mayday on VHF, raced over in his fishing boat, and with a helicopter overhead helped recover both. The Coast Guard took them to hospital; both survived.

off Hornby Island · Sailboat (30 ft)2026Rescued
verified · 3 sourcesN3
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off Lahaina, Maui
Moored catamaran took on water and sank off Māla Wharf, Lahaina

A moored catamaran quietly fills and goes down off Māla Wharf

On 16 January 2026 a 42-foot catamaran moored about 300 yards off Māla Wharf in Lahaina, Maui, took on water and sank, staying partly afloat where she went down. The one man aboard, 67, was helped off by a nearby boat and needed no medical treatment. No one else was aboard.

off Māla Wharf · Catamaran2026Sunk
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Pilot Bay, Bay of Plenty
Grounding

A gale drags two yachts onto the beach at Pilot Bay

In October 2025 a gale at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand — westerlies gusting near 80 km/h — dragged two yachts, Right On and Orinoco, aground in Pilot Bay. The harbourmaster later secured a beached yacht, and no injuries were reported. It's a plain lesson in ground tackle failing on a lee shore in a blow.

Pilot bay · Sailing yacht2025Returned safely
unverified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Clinton Lake, Kansas
Capsize

A gust flips a sailboat — one swims for shore, two hold onto the hull

High winds gusting near 38 mph capsized a sailboat carrying three adults on Clinton Lake, close to the dam tower west of Lawrence, Kansas, in 2026. One person swam to shore while the other two stayed with the upturned hull until a county fire crew reached them. All three were treated for cold exposure and none were hospitalised.

Clinton Lake · Sailboat2026Rescued
verified · 3 sourcesN3
Lesson learned/Full report →
Winyah Bay entrance, South Carolina
Grounding

Aground on the rocks at dusk near Winyah Bay, a sailor and his dog are hoisted to safety

On the evening of 14 February 2026 the 37-foot sailing yacht Chusan ran aground on rocks near Winyah Bay, off Georgetown, South Carolina. The skipper radioed for help around 6:16 p.m., and a Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter hoisted him and his dog to safety at Georgetown Airport with no injuries.

Chusan · Sailing yacht2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Offshore, south of Block Island
Sailing yacht flooded through a failing shaft seal 170 nm offshore; four taken off by a cutter

A worn shaft seal floods a yacht 170 miles out — a dropped pump buys time, a cutter takes the crew off

The 60-foot sailing yacht Scotch Mist flooded through a deteriorating propeller-shaft seal about 170 nautical miles south of Block Island, Rhode Island. A Coast Guard aircraft dropped a dewatering pump while the cutter William Chadwick diverted and took all four crew aboard, treating them for shock and hypothermia. No lives were lost.

Scotch Mist · Sailing yacht2026Rescued
verified · 4 sourcesN4
Lesson learned/Full report →
Offshore, off Cape Hatteras
Sailing yacht flooded 260 nm off Cape Hatteras; five abandoned to the raft and were rescued

Flooding 260 miles out, five step into the raft — and a carrier helps bring the helicopter to them

In November 2025 the sailing yacht Magic Bus, bound from Stonington, Connecticut to the Bahamas, began flooding about 260 nautical miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Her five crew abandoned into a life raft, were located by a Coast Guard HC-130, and were all lifted off by an MH-60 helicopter — refuelled via the carrier USS George H.W. Bush — unhurt.

Magic Bus · Sailing yacht2025Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Inner Oslofjord near Fagerstrand, off Nesodden, Norway
Inner Oslofjord
Motorboat struck a sailing trimaran in the inner Oslofjord; the powerboat sank

A powerboat and a sailing trimaran collide in the Oslofjord; the motorboat goes down

On 3 August 2025 a daycruiser motorboat and a sailing trimaran collided in the busy inner Oslofjord near Fagerstrand, off Nesodden, Norway. Police said the motorboat operator acted negligently and struck the sailing vessel. The motorboat sank; the trimaran stayed afloat. Three people were involved and two were lightly injured, with no reported pollution.

Oslofjord · Sailing trimaran2025Returned safely
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Location not recorded
Orcas disabled the rudder and flooded the boat; family of five abandoned to a raft

Couple and three girls rescued after orca attack on sailboat that sank

On 10 October 2025, about 50 nautical miles off Peniche, Portugal, orcas battered the rudder of the French-flagged sloop Ti'fare. The helm spun freely and within roughly 20 minutes the boat was flooding faster than the pumps could handle. The family of five aboard — two adults and three children — abandoned to a life raft, were picked up by a fishing boat, and were airlifted to safety by the Portuguese Air Force, unhurt.

off Peniche · Vessel2025Sunk
likely · 2 sourcesN2
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off the Ayrshire coast, near Largs
Firth of Clyde, Scotland
Ran aground on an Ayrshire bank; five taken off by lifeboat

Five taken off a 44-foot yacht aground on an Ayrshire bank

On 1 July 2026 a 44-foot yacht ran aground off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland's Firth of Clyde, in an area local coverage called a notorious grounding blackspot. Largs RNLI launched and took all five people aboard to safety. No injuries were reported.

Ayrshire bank · Yacht2026Rescued
verified · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Near Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, Lake Huron, Michigan
Lake Huron, off Port Austin (tip of the Thumb)
Ran aground near the Port Austin light; crew rescued

A yacht hard aground off the Port Austin light on Lake Huron

A yacht ran aground near the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, at the tip of Michigan's Thumb on Lake Huron, around late June 2026. Local coverage reported two people rescued without injury. A separate Coast Guard account from the same period describes a single injured sailor hoisted by helicopter after a Lake Huron grounding near Port Austin — whether these are one incident or two is not confirmed.

off Port Austin Reef · Yacht2026Rescued
likely · 2 sourcesN2
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off Bay Village, Ohio
Lake Erie
Sailboat capsized at dusk; both crew recovered wearing life jackets

Two sailors capsize on Lake Erie at dusk — spotted from shore, found by a police drone

A sailboat capsized on Lake Erie off Bay Village, Ohio around 8 p.m. on 27 June 2026. A resident ashore saw two people in the water beside the overturned hull and called for help. A Westlake police drone found both — one had drifted about 40 feet from the boat — and an Ohio DNR boat brought them ashore. Both were wearing life jackets and were unharmed.

off Bay village · Sailboat2026Rescued
likely · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
Near Isla Farallón, off Colonia, Uruguay
Río de la Plata
Hull breach and lost steering; flooded and sank, all twelve taken off

Taking water with her steering gone, an Argentine sailboat sinks in the Río de la Plata — all twelve lifted off

On 29 October 2023 the Argentine sailboat Carpe Diem lost her rudder and began flooding near the Farallón Island light off Colonia, Uruguay. The crew could not stop the water, and a pump failed to hold her. About two hours after the first distress call, Uruguay's Navy took off all twelve aboard; the boat sank with half its mast still showing. All twelve survived.

Carpe Diem · Sailboat2023Sunk
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
489 nm off Tillamook, Oregon
Northeast Pacific, off the Oregon coast
Dismasted with engine failure and an injured solo skipper; lifted off by a cruise ship

Dismasted and injured 489 miles out, a solo sailor is lifted off by a passing cruise ship

On 26 May 2026, 489 miles off Oregon, the 29-foot Alice was dismasted and left with a dead engine in a gale while her 74-year-old skipper sailed alone from Hawaii to British Columbia. He hurt his shoulder but stayed in contact by handheld satellite messenger. The Coast Guard flew overwatch and the cruise ship Silver Whisper diverted 120 miles to lift him off.

Alice · Sailing yacht2026Rescued
verified · 5 sourcesN5
Lesson learned/Full report →
West of Kefalonia, Ionian Sea
Flooding · Abandon ship · Rescue

Sailing yacht sinks; two aboard step down into the tender and are picked up

On the evening of 30 June 2026 a sailing yacht sank about five miles west of Kefalonia in calm weather. The two Italians aboard abandoned in good time into the yacht's own tender and were picked up by a passing private vessel, escorted ashore by a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat. Both were unhurt; the cause is under investigation.

off Kefalonia · Sailing yacht2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Boston Harbor, off Castle Island
Grounding

A 25-foot sailboat grounds off Castle Island; two are pulled out and treated for hypothermia

A 25-foot sailboat ran aground off Castle Island in South Boston on a Thursday, and the two people aboard were rescued from the cold harbour water and treated for hypothermia. Details are limited, but the pattern is a common one: a small boat aground close to a busy shore, with cold water the real danger.

off Castle Island · Sailboat2026Rescued
likely · 6 sourcesN6
Lesson learned/Full report →
~700 nm off south-west England
North Atlantic, southwest of the British Isles
Yacht crippled in Storm Ciarán far offshore; RAF aircraft coordinate a deep-ocean rescue

Norwegian sailor crippled by Storm Ciarán deep in the Atlantic; RAF aircraft help bring him out

HISTORICAL (Nov 2023). During Storm Ciarán, a Norwegian sailor's yacht was critically damaged about 700 miles off south-west England. He sent a distress call late on 2 November 2023, and an RAF A400M Atlas and a Poseidon MRA1 flew far offshore to find him and coordinate a rescue well beyond helicopter range.

off south-west England · Sailing yacht2023Rescued
likely · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Off Faial, central Azores group
Rescue · Medical emergency · Grounding

Exhausted solo sailor rescued off Faial after a four-hour wait; his abandoned yacht drifts for days

On 21 June 2026 a 57-year-old Frenchman sailing alone off Faial in the Azores called for help at 0400 in difficulty. Heavy seas delayed the Horta lifeboat, so he was not lifted off until 0845, by then exhausted, and was taken to hospital. The yacht he left behind then drifted for about ten days before grounding.

off Faial · Sailing yacht2026Rescued
verified · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
Location not recorded
Orca interaction · Grounding · Steering failure

Casal diz que veleiro encalhou na Nazaré para fugir a suposto ataque de orcas

Early on 1 December 2025 a Dutch couple delivering the 14-metre yacht Spiral of Life from Croatia to the Netherlands ran her aground at Nazaré, Portugal, around 0330. They said orcas had struck the hull and sent the rudder spinning, so the skipper steered for the beach as advised. Both reached shore unhurt; authorities were still investigating the orca claim.

Spiral of Life · Vessel2025Returned safely
likely · 1 sourceN
Lesson learned/Full report →
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