On 12 August 2026, the newly delivered 30-metre Amer F100 motor yacht Angiola II suffered an engine-room fire off Capo Ferro, near Porto Cervo, Sardinia, and sank in about 7 metres of water. All 14 people aboard were taken off safely by nearby boats; no injuries or fuel leak were reported.
On 9 August 2026, a sailboat with six Greek nationals aboard ran aground on a rocky seabed off Moutsouna, on Naxos's east coast. All six reached shore on their own, uninjured; the cause of the grounding was not reported.
On 5-6 August 2026, a sailboat carrying five foreign nationals lost steerage off Serifos, Greece, after its sail tore. Greece's Coast Guard and a Syros fishing vessel escorted it safely into Livadi harbour; no one was hurt.
On 29 July 2026, a 30-foot catamaran struck a piling near the Manatee Avenue Bridge in Manatee County, Florida, in strong winds from a fast-building thunderstorm, snapping its mast. Marine deputies, lifeguards, and fire crews rescued both occupants; one had a minor head injury.
Just before midnight on 29 July 2026, a humpback whale struck the Lewis family's anchored 25-foot sailboat near Gloomy Knob in Glacier Bay National Park, sinking it within three minutes. All three aboard swam to shore, built a fire, and were rescued by park rangers the next morning.
On 3 August 2026, adverse weather left a sailboat with nine people aboard — seven adults and two children — in difficulty off Topolobampo, Sinaloa. Mexico's Navy rescued everyone, found no injuries, and towed the boat to a nearby dock.
In early August 2026, a sloop ran aground on rocks at St Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings on England's East Sussex coast, and sank. The skipper swam ashore unaided and unharmed; the cause of the grounding was not reported.
Solo sailor Kai Sato lost his mast and then his fuel two weeks into a first Pacific crossing from Long Beach, drifting for 44 days with no way to sail, motor, or call for help. He improvised repairs and a water still to survive, and was rescued by the containership M/V George III about 750 miles off Hawaii on 21 July 2026.
On 1 August 2026, a 27-foot sailboat capsized and sank at Høllen, Søgne, on Norway's southern coast. Both people aboard were rescued from the water uninjured.
Eight German tourists swimming off a chartered sailboat near Symi watched it drift away after its anchor slipped on 2 August 2026, leaving them stranded in the water overnight. A Greek Coast Guard and Air Force search recovered all eight alive by the morning of 3 August.
On 26 December 2025, the sailboat Odisea struck rocks near the mouth of the Arroyo Riachuelo, Uruguay, opening a leak that compromised the hull within minutes. Uruguay's Prefectura Naval rescued both crew by boat, and the boat itself was left grounded on the beach.
On 10 March 2026, the sailboat Amadeus lost all power and began taking on water during a passage from Union Island to Martinique. Disoriented, the crew believed they were in the Saint Lucia Channel but were actually 30 nautical miles further west. A diverted tanker confirmed the boat was sinking before the helicopter Dragon 972 hoisted all three crew to safety.
On 29 July 2026, a German-flagged sailboat with two German nationals aboard ran aground in Elounda Bay, Crete. Both were unharmed. A Coast Guard patrol boat freed the vessel, which then made its own way into the port of Elounda under escort.
On the night of 27 July 2026, a yacht sailing single-handed in the Solent suffered a complete battery failure, losing all navigation lights. GAFIRS volunteers spotted the unlit boat by near-full moonlight off Gilkicker — the skipper was using a torch to warn other traffic — and towed it to safety at Gosport Marina.
On 25 July 2026, a 44-year-old man fell overboard from a catamaran off Barbâtre, Île de Noirmoutier, France. He swam himself to shore while his companion sailed the boat back in. A two-hour search involving a helicopter, an SNSM lifeboat, and firefighters was mobilised before he was found safe and released without hospital transport.
On 27 July 2026, a roughly 30-foot catamaran struck a piling near the Manatee Avenue Bridge in Bradenton, Florida, during strong wind, and its mast snapped. A rescue swimmer pulled both people aboard from the water; one suffered a head laceration and was taken to hospital.
On 8 February 2026, a 32-year-old American crew member aboard the sailboat Lena Rae, about 850 nautical miles off Recife, Brazil, developed acute chest pain and shortness of breath during an Atlantic crossing. A merchant ship diverted to collect him, a Brazilian Navy vessel carried him within range, and a Brazilian Air Force helicopter flew him to hospital in Natal on 12 February.
On 22 July 2026, a 16-foot catamaran-style sailboat capsized about 1.5 miles off Harrisville, Michigan, during a Lake Huron small craft advisory. The two sailors aboard were in the water for 90 minutes before 911 was called. Two more people who went out on their own to help — a swimmer and a kayaker without a lifejacket — were themselves swept up and capsized. Michigan DNR officers rescued all four; everyone was back ashore within two hours, unhurt.
On 23 July 2026, the sailing yacht Idem lost her rudder to a pod of orcas 1.3 nautical miles off Estaca de Bares, Galicia, Spain, and began taking on water. Both crew were picked up unhurt by a nearby vessel and landed at Cariño; the yacht later sank. It was the fourth orca interaction reported in the area that day.
On 6 July 2026, a small sailing catamaran capsized near the Rüter Horn shoal on Schweriner See, Germany. Unable to right it, the skipper swam about 50 metres to the water police station to raise the alarm, while the second crew member stayed with the hull. Both were recovered unharmed.
On 20 July 2026, two Michigan men sailing on the Detroit River capsized their boat near Amherstburg, Ontario. Neither was wearing a lifejacket. A passing boat helped until the Coast Guard arrived, but one man had already gone underwater; he was pronounced dead in hospital. The second man survived.
Late on 21 July 2026, the crew of a 15-metre yacht anchored in Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull, called a mayday after their anchor chain fouled the propeller and rudder, fearing they'd drag ashore. Oban RNLI's lifeboat found the anchor holding, took the crew off as a precaution, and brought them back to Oban overnight. No one was hurt.
On 6 July 2026, a 12-metre catamaran anchored near the Sèche-Croissant reef off Nouméa, New Caledonia, caught fire and sank within about an hour. The owner, ashore on a nearby islet when it started, returned briefly to fight the fire before being forced to flee; he was not hurt. No one was aboard when the boat went down.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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