SW-INC-0419SeaWise Incidents

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

A sailboat with two Greek nationals aboard began taking on water near the Pergousa islet off Nisyros. The Hellenic Coast Guard located the boat and brought both people safely ashore, unhurt.

verified · 1 sourceN
Vessel
Sailboat
When
2026Mediterranean Sea
Outcome
Rescued
Position
Near Pergousa islet, off Nisyros, Dodecanese, Greece
Sea area
Aegean Sea, Dodecanese, off Nisyros
Coordinates
36.61°N, 27.15°EApproximate position
Summary

What happened.

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.

Around midday on Saturday 27 June 2026, a sailboat with two Greek nationals aboard began taking on water near the Pergousa islet, a small rock off Nisyros in Greece's Dodecanese. As the boat settled, the crew got word to the Hellenic Coast Guard's rescue coordination centre, which sent a patrol boat from the Kalymnos port authority. The patrol boat found the pair quickly, took them off the half-sunk sailboat, and carried them safely to Nisyros harbour. Both were reported in good health afterward, with no injuries. The reporting doesn't say what let the water in, or whether the boat itself was recovered or lost — but the outcome turned on the same thing it usually does: the crew raised the alarm while they still could, and the Coast Guard had a boat close enough to reach them fast.

ConditionsAround midday on Saturday 27 June 2026, a sailboat with two Greek nationals aboard began taking on water and partially sank near the Pergousa islet, off Nisyros in Greece's Dodecanese. The Hellenic Coast Guard's Search and Rescue Coordination Centre coordinated the response; a Coast Guard patrol boat from the Kalymnos port authority reached the scene, located both people safely, and brought them aboard before ferrying them to Nisyros harbour. Both were reported in good health, with no injuries. Facts from efsyn.gr, CNN Greece, thetoc.gr, inewsgr.com and Kalymnos-News (which published the Coast Guard's own recovery footage) — consistent across all six outlets found.
SeaWise noteThis ended well because the crew called for help while the boat was still afloat enough to be found and reached quickly. When water starts coming in faster than you can manage, don't wait to see if it stops — raise the alarm with your position while you still have time and a boat under you.
Lessons learned

What it teaches.

  • 1
    Water coming in near a rocky islet gave this crew little margin. Know your nearest safe harbour and how to raise the coast guard by VHF or phone before you're in the situation, not after.
    flooding communications
  • 2
    The boat was still afloat enough to be found and boarded when help arrived. Raise the alarm as soon as flooding starts to outpace what you can bail or pump — waiting to see if it gets worse costs you the time rescuers need.
    flooding
  • 3
    Two people, one boat, one islet, one patrol vessel: a fast, coordinated response turned a half-sunk sailboat into an uneventful rescue. Know which authority coordinates search and rescue in your cruising area before you need them.
    flooding rescue
Sources

Where this comes from.

News· EU/Med sailing newsΝίσυρος: Μισοβυθίστηκε ιστιοφόρο σκάφος - Διασώθηκαν από το Λιμενικό οι δύο επιβαίνοντεςVisit ↗

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Procedures involved.

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FloodingRescueMediterranean Sea
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Record IDSW-INC-0419
Curated bySeaWise editorial
Confidenceverified · 1 source
Record typeIncident

About SeaWise records: We catalogue sailing emergencies with structured metadata and link to primary sources rather than republishing them. Individual crew names are anonymised by default— sources we link to may name them publicly; SeaWise refers to roles ("the skipper", "the crew") on our pages. Submitter identities are always private.