Incidents in the Caribbean.
Documented sailing emergencies in the Caribbean — 4 records, each with sources, lessons, and links to the SeaWise procedures involved. Search by the water you're about to sail.
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On 1 May 2026 the 32 ft sailboat Breezy Lee, sailed alone by an American from Florida, lost her engine and suffered rig problems about 70 nautical miles east-south-east of Cozumel. The Mexican Navy patrol vessel ARM Independencia took him aboard in good health and towed the boat to Cozumel.
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 the night of 16 April 2026, a 10-metre sailing yacht with five people aboard, aged 29 to 75, was on passage off Sainte-Luce, Martinique, when its engine failed; it then ran aground on a bank and began leaking. The five took to their tender — which was also disabled — and drifted several hundred metres before the gendarmerie and SNSM rescued them, unharmed but badly shaken.
On a Sunday evening in November 2025, the excursion catamaran Boca de Yuma 1 — a roughly 40-foot boat carrying about 55 cruise-ship tourists on a sunset trip — flooded after a sudden leak and sank quickly near Samaná Bay, in the Dominican Republic. Everyone aboard ended up in the water but was pulled to safety by the Dominican Navy and local residents, with no injuries reported. The cause is under investigation.