Vlie - A yacht hit a submerged object off Gran Canaria and sank in five minutes; all five reached the liferaft
The Bavaria 45 Vlie flooded so fast after striking something underwater that she went down in about five minutes; the five crew took to the liferaft and were lifted off by a Spanish rescue helicopter.
What happened.
On Friday 13 February 2026, the Dutch-flagged Bavaria 45 Vlie struck an unidentified submerged object off Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, and flooded so fast that she sank in about five minutes. All five aboard got into the liferaft, and a Spanish rescue helicopter lifted them to safety roughly 45 minutes later. The exact cause was not confirmed, but the underwater impact was blamed for the catastrophic flooding.
On Friday 13 February 2026, the Bavaria 45 Vlie — a Dutch-flagged yacht with a German professional skipper and five people aboard — was sailing off Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, when she struck an unidentified object just below the surface. Water began pouring in almost at once, and despite immediate efforts to stem it, the ingress was overwhelming: the yacht sank in about five minutes. There was just enough time for all five crew to get into the liferaft. The alarm reached the Spanish sea-rescue service, Salvamento Marítimo, and a rescue helicopter arrived in roughly 45 minutes and lifted everyone to safety. The exact cause of the sinking was never finally established, but contact with an unknown submerged object — a container, a log, or similar debris — is considered the direct cause of the catastrophic flooding. Everyone survived; the boat was lost.
What it teaches.
- 1A holed hull can sink a boat in minutes — keep the liferaft and grab bag ready now. The Vlie went down in about five minutes after striking something underwater; the five aboard survived because they got straight into the raft. Keep the liferaft serviced and accessible and a grab bag — beacon, water, signals — by the companionway.
- 2Submerged objects — containers, logs, debris — are a real offshore hazard. The cause here was a collision with an unidentified object that opened the hull. Keep a lookout, slow in poor visibility, and know your hull's weak points and how to stem a fast leak with bungs, plugs and a working high-capacity pump.
- 3When flooding wins, get the call out and everyone off together. A distress alert brought a helicopter in about 45 minutes and all five were lifted off. Once water is beyond the pumps, stop fighting the boat: send the mayday, trigger the beacon, and get the crew into the raft with lifejackets on.
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