Syros - Dismasted off Syros in a near-gale, two French sailors were taken off safely
A sailing yacht broke her mast and sent an SOS in 6-7 Beaufort winds between Syros and Mykonos; a coast guard helicopter and a ferry stood by, the crew chose to stay aboard, and a tug took the yacht in tow while the two sailors were landed at Paros.
What happened.
Late on a Sunday night in August 2025, a sailing yacht carrying two French nationals was dismasted in 6-7 Beaufort winds between Syros and Mykonos, in the Greek Cyclades, and issued an SOS. The Hellenic Coast Guard responded with a Super Puma helicopter and a ferry. The crew chose to stay aboard and a tug took the yacht in tow; both sailors were landed safely at Naoussa, on Paros, unhurt.
Late on the night of Sunday 10 August 2025, a sailing yacht with two French nationals aboard ran into trouble in a near-gale of 6-7 Beaufort between the Cycladic islands of Syros and Mykonos. The yacht suffered severe damage, including a broken mast, and issued an SOS. The Hellenic Coast Guard mounted a substantial response, with a Super Puma helicopter and the ferry Blue Star Delos standing by. The two sailors initially declined to abandon their yacht and instead asked for a tow; a tug reached the scene at around 11 p.m. and began towing the disabled yacht toward Mykonos. The crew were brought safely ashore to Naoussa, on the island of Paros, with no injuries reported. It was a textbook outcome to a rig failure offshore in heavy weather: a clear distress call, a measured decision not to take to a liferaft while the hull was sound, and a tow to safety.
What it teaches.
- 1A dismasting is a heavy-weather emergency in itself. In 6-7 Beaufort off Syros, this yacht lost her mast and sent an SOS. Carry the means to cut a rig away safely — bolt croppers, a hacksaw, a sharp knife — so trailing spars and rigging can't hole the hull or foul the propeller while you wait for help.
- 2Staying with a floating boat is often the right call. The crew declined to abandon and asked for a tow; a tug reached them and the yacht was saved. A hull that still floats is a bigger, drier target for rescuers than a liferaft — take to the raft only when staying aboard becomes the greater danger.
- 3Make the SOS count: position, souls on board, the problem. Help came fast — a helicopter, a ferry, then a tug — because the crew got a clear distress call out. Know how to send a DSC and voice mayday with your position, and carry an EPIRB so the alert goes out even if the radio is lost.
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