off Cargèse - Two catamarans collide — one is holed and flooding, and the only way to save her is to run her onto the sand
A collision between two cruising catamarans off Cargèse opened a gash in one hull. With water gaining on three pumps and three people aboard, the SNSM lifeboat crew took the crew off and deliberately grounded the boat on shallow sand — then patched, pumped and refloated her the next day.
What happened.
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 evening of 23 June 2026, two cruising catamarans collided in the Gulf of Cargèse, on the west coast of Corsica. One of them, a Looping 50 with three people aboard, came off badly: a gash opened in the starboard hull and the sea came in faster than three salvage pumps could throw it out. The other, a Spanish-flagged Tanna 47, had only a light leak. The lifeboat volunteers of SNSM Ajaccio, called out by CROSS MED, ran three boats to the scene, took the three crew off the sinking catamaran, and made the decision that saved her: rather than let her go down in deep water, they deliberately ran her aground on shallow sand near a beach. She sat there overnight, guarded by her owner — who had to fend off several attempts to loot the stricken boat. The next morning the crew patched the breach, fitted lifting bags, ran the pumps again, floated her off and towed her the several hours round to Ajaccio. No one was hurt. It is a compact lesson in collision, in losing the fight against flooding, and in the deliberate grounding that trades a repairable boat for one lost on the bottom.
What it teaches.
- 1This was a collision between two catamarans in open coastal water — a reminder that most collisions happen in easy conditions, not fog. Keep a proper lookout at all times, know the rules of the road, and remember that a hit at the waterline can open a hull faster than your pumps can ever keep up.
- 2When flooding is beating your pumps, deep water is what sinks you. Deliberately running the boat aground on shallow sand — as the lifeboat crew did here — keeps her where she can be patched and refloated rather than lost on the bottom. It's a recognised last-ditch tactic: trade a repairable grounding for a sinking.
- 3Grounding her was not the end of it. The breach still had to be patched and the pumps run before she could be refloated the next day — and overnight the owner had to stay aboard to fend off looters. A stricken boat needs tending and guarding until she's truly safe, not just until the crew are ashore.
Where this comes from.
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Procedures involved.
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