Incidents on inland waters.
Documented sailing emergencies on inland waters — 5 records, each with sources, lessons, and links to the SeaWise procedures involved. Search by the water you're about to sail.
← Search & filter the full LogbookOn 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.
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.
On a Saturday in late May 2026, a German family — father, mother and their seven-year-old child — were sailing a catamaran near Riva del Garda, on northern Lake Garda, when it ran onto rocks and capsized in the lake's strong winds. Another sailor alerted the coast guard, and a rescue boat from Torbole recovered all three unharmed. The damaged catamaran was salvaged later by a local sailing school.
Around midday on Monday 29 June 2026, a sailboat capsized on the Traunsee near Traunkirchen in Upper Austria. The single person aboard stayed with the boat and was recovered unhurt by fire and water-rescue crews, who ended the operation after about 45 minutes. The cause of the capsize was not established.
On Saturday 16 May 2026, a sudden strong gust capsized a sailboat on the Lippesee, a lake near Paderborn in Germany, putting its three-person crew into the water. A DLRG rescue boat already on patrol nearby reached them quickly and brought all three out of the water safely. No injuries were reported.