yacht crash

Briton dies and six injured after yacht crashes into rocks off Italian coast

Authorities believe the "Amore" yacht had been sailing parallel to another boat when, for reasons that are unclear, it veered away suddenly and hit rocks.

Foreign news reporter @MikeRDrummond

Monday 1 August 2022 17:40, UK

A British man died and six people were injured after a yacht ran aground on rocks off the coast of Italy, possibly as it tried to avoid crashing into another boat.

The 63-year-old owner of the 70ft boat - whose name has not been released - suffered a heart attack after the vessel crashed in waters near the Sardinian seaside resort of Porto Cervo on Sunday night, according to Italian media.

Authorities believe the "Amore" yacht had been sailing parallel to another boat when, for reasons that are unclear, it veered away suddenly and hit rocks near the island of Rocche, south of the Li Nibani islands.

The man was reportedly thrown into the water and rescued by a boat flying under the Maltese flag which was nearby.

With the assistance of the coastguard he was taken in by medical staff but they were unable to revive him.

The other six people who had been aboard the "Amore" were rescued by a third boat and transported to the Porto Cervo port.

Four were taken to the emergency room, two in serious condition, Italian media say.

More on Italy

Violent football ultras reveal why they attack rivals - but insist they're not hooligans

Two Brighton fans stabbed by masked gang in Italy ahead of Roma game

Ferrari stolen from Formula One driver Gerhard Berger in 1995 recovered by police nearly three decades later

Related Topics:

The wreck of the "Amore" was found half-sunk and has been recovered by authorities.

Read more: Briton fatally struck by helicopter blade while on holiday in Greece named as Jack Fenton British man found dead in Crete after lying motionless on sunbed for hours

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says it is working with Italian agencies.

An FCDO spokesperson said: "We are providing support following a maritime accident in Sardinia, including to the family of a dual national who has died. We are in contact with the local authorities."

Related Topics

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Wife of British millionaire killed in yacht crash says ‘life changed in matter of seconds’

Dean kronsbein suffered fatal injuries after falling overboard during crash in porto cervo, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Dean Kronsbein was described as a ‘much-loved family man'

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails, thanks for signing up to the breaking news email.

The wife of a British millionaire killed in a yacht crash said her “life changed in a matter of seconds,” as investigations into the devastating accident continue.

Dean Kronsbein, 61, was fatally injured in the crash, which occurred off Sardinia on Sunday, 31 July.

Mr Kronsbein was thrown overboard into the water when the 70ft Amore yacht collided with rocks off Porto Cervo, with further investigations revealing the businessman died of a heart attack after he fell.

His wife Sabine, 59, suffered serious injuries in the incident as did their daughter Sophia, 27, who has undergone treatment at a specialist head injuries hospital.

Sabine told investigators asking her what happened: “All I remember is the other yacht coming for us at speed and then our captain said ‘everyone on the floor, everyone down’ and then we hit the rocks,” MailOnline reports.

“My life has changed in a matter of seconds, I'm devastated by what's happened, everything has changed but I want to defend the captain of our yacht for his actions, he was trying to save us. He didn't do anything wrong.”

The yacht was damaged after crashing into rocks off Sardinia

According to reports, the captain of the yacht - identified as Mario Lallone - was questioned by authorities in connection with the crash. Additionally, captain Luigi Cortese, the captain of Sweet Dragon - another boat involved in the tragedy and owned by Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi - was also questioned.

Lawyer Egidio Caredda said: “They just want to find out exactly what happened so they have the full picture of the circumstances leading to Mr Kronsbein's death.”

Mr Kronsbein was the founder and chairman of Ultrafilter Medical - a multi-million-pound company which manufactures face masks for NHS workers. In 2020 he bought a four-bedroom villa in Sardinia after renting regularly in the area.

Earlier this year, Mr Kronsbein led the Great British Mask Giveaway, donating 100,000 to locals in Grimsby where he grew up.

Mr Kronsbein’s younger sister, Sarah Kronsbein, posted on Instagram: “RIP my older brother Dean Kronsbein. I can not find words which explain what I feel. I will love you! My thoughts are with Dean's family.”

A spokesperson for the family said Mr Kronsbein was a “much-loved family man.”

“It is with great sadness that we can confirm that Dean Kronsbein has been killed in a boating accident,” the spokesperson said.

“A much-loved and respected family man, friend and business colleague, it is a tremendous shock and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know him. We politely request that the family are allowed time and space to come to terms with their loss.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

British man killed and six people injured in Sardinia yacht crash

Yacht reportedly crashed into rocks when swerving in attempt to avoid collision with another vessel

A British man has reportedly died and six people were injured after a yacht sailing near a resort in Sardinia crashed into rocks on Sunday.

The 63-year-old man reported to be the owner of the 21-metre yacht was unconscious but still alive when he was rescued by the Italian coastguard of Olbia and Porto Cervo. However, first responders said he died immediately after.

According to initial reports, the yacht crashed into rocks after it suddenly swerved in an attempt to avoid a collision with another vessel.

Police and coastguards were both investigating the incident, which occurred at about 8.40pm on Sunday near Li Nibani island, close to Porto Cervo.

Seven people were onboard. Among the injured, two are in a serious condition. Their nationalities have not been disclosed yet. The yacht, flying a Maltese flag, was eventually recovered and towed to Porto Cervo. It has been impounded by local police and will be held in Sardinia during the investigation.

The area in which the crash took place is being guarded by the Italian coastguard. The name of the boat has not yet been disclosed.

Most viewed

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• What Is Cinema?
• Newsletters

Inside Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Crash, and the Dramatic Aftermath

By Julie Miller

Below Deck viewers have survived kitchen fires, nightmare charter guests , dramatic dismissals, drug scandals , and soured romantic relationships. But Monday’s episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, “Total Ship Show,” is unprecedented in franchise history, in terms of its sheer disaster quotient. Within the first five minutes of the episode, the Parsifal yacht crashes into a stone dock in high winds, destroying the end of the vessel and totaling Captain Glenn Shephard ’s already-dented ego. (Last week, Parsifal suffered a less serious collision. We hope the sailing yacht is not cursed.) The rest of the episode unravels like a high-paced thriller set aboard an out-of-control luxury yacht.

The villains: the shrill, gluten-free charter guests, who are too self-involved to notice the Parsifal ’s jacked transom door. The dramatic B-plot: the chef screwing up a five-course meal by serving steak after dessert. As if this were not enough action for a single episode, there is also an STD scare that forces an otherwise respectable woman to reckon with an indiscretion.

“It was almost like an embarrassment of riches,” said Below Deck executive producer Courtland Cox, of the chart-topping chaos in Croatia. “It’s amazing that this was all happening, but it’s also difficult to tell all of these stories in an interesting way within a limited amount of time per episode.” Some viewers complained that the season was starting off too smoothly, but Cox trusted the process and knew that such interesting cast members would yield climactic story lines. “With any great narrative structure, you want to have peaks and valleys that eventually crescendo into something interesting…. The yacht crashing, guests being crazy, and Jean-Luc [Cerza Lanaux] being worried about getting an STD, all that stuff is the seasoning.”

Ahead, Cox and Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher take us behind the scenes of Monday’s bombshell episode to answer all of our burning questions—about everything from the crash to the onboard romances, including Dani’s pregnancy announcement.

Executive producer Cox was tucked away in a tiny control room on the Parsifal during both accidents, where he was able to watch what was happening from three different camera vantage points, and hear what was happening from the walkie-talkie dialogue on deck. Cox said that he knew that the Parsifal was going to hit the dock about five seconds before it happened—when first mate Gary King began calling out the shrinking measurements between the yacht and the dock, but the boat, because of the intense wind and swell, kept hurtling toward the dock at full speed. Because of a mechanical error that short-circuited the thrusters, Captain Glenn was not able to propel the vessel in the reverse direction.

As the ship sped toward the dock, the Below Deck producer juggled a contradictory range of concerns: the fear of a captive passenger aboard an out-of-control vessel; worry for his fellow shipmates; heartbreak for Captain Glenn, who was about to bite it in front of multiple cameras; and, conversely, the shark-like instincts of a reality-TV producer keen to capture the chaotic melee in all of its gruesome glory.

“The human part of me, my heart aches for Glenn,” Cox told Vanity Fair. Still, he continued, “My job is to capture what’s actually happening—so we told our camera operators, ‘Stay on Glenn.’ We don’t push right up in his face or get in his way, but the story in the moment was that Glenn hit the dock. How was he going to rectify the situation?”

In addition to seeing the crash, viewers also witness Captain Glenn’s spirit breaking close up—as the sweet Parsifal pilot realizes, in devastatingly real time, that he has not only incurred thousands of dollars in yacht damages, but has done so with a camera trained on him.

“I probably watched this episode 15 times in various incarnations, and every time I see Glenn’s face in the immediate aftermath of hitting that dock, I still get very emotional,” said Cox. “It’s a catastrophic moment for any yacht captain when you do damage to a boat. It’s the worst possible thing. And I also know that that’s compounded by a factor of a million because there are TV cameras on you.”

Cox has produced 16 seasons’ worth of Below Deck, and called the crash “the second-most intense moment ever on the series.” (The first-most intense was a near-death accident in 2018 during which deckhand Ashton Pienaar was pulled overboard after his ankle was caught in ropes.) “As a producer, it’s amazingly compelling. But as a person onboard, it’s terrifying…. But Glenn is a consummate professional. He didn’t try to deflect or make excuses or try to tap dance his way out of it. He went quickly into crisis mode, damage mode.”

Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher said that watching the crash in the episode was worse than living it, “because I was downstairs when it happened. I have never seen a boat that crashed the dock or been in a boat that crashed the dock.”

By Savannah Walsh

By Vanity Fair

By Katey Rich

Speaking about Glenn, Kelliher said, “He was pretty upset at the time, but you quickly calm down. It was an accident, and the main thing is nobody got hurt. It’s like banging your car. You get the insurance sorted. You learn from it. And you move on.”

How quickly did the episode’s events happen in real life?

The unfolded over the course of about 72 hours, according to Cox. “The boat hits the dock, it looks terrible, and Glenn’s like, ‘Well, the guests are getting here in four hours.’… The crew did a great job at kind of compartmentalizing, and putting the dock behind us as these charter guests come on. And the story becomes about J.L.’ s anxiety about the STD, and [chef] Natasha’s anxiety about these guests having crazy demands that are emotionally taxing on the heels of a traumatic event…. It’s exhausting for them.”

What did producers make of another unprecedented plot twist: J.L.’s on-camera concerns about a potential sexually transmitted disease?

This twist surprised even Cox. “I’m a fossil who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Cox. “What was going through my head was, ‘There’s a very easy way he could have prevented this—by using some kind of protection. If you roll the dice, you kinda gotta accept what happens to you. I’m not a heartless monster TV producer. I don’t want anyone to ever suffer or go through something they have an existential crisis over. In that moment, you’re hoping that it’s at least one of the lesser STDs that is easily treated.”

When did producers discover that Dani was pregnant? (The cast member revealed her pregnancy on Instagram last month.)

“Dani brought it to our attention when we were pretty far into the postproduction process,” said Cox. “Even once Dani found out, I think she kind of wanted to sit with [the news] herself. Then she let us know and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m pregnant.’ We said, ‘Okay, great.’ I left that up to her and how much information she wanted to give us. My first reaction was, ‘That’s fantastic. Congratulations.’ Because she made it clear throughout the season that she wanted a family. The rest of that is for Dani to figure out.”

“I really don’t ask Dani much about it,” added Kelliher in a separate phone call. “I’m very aware that that she probably feels like she’s explaining herself to a lot of people. So I try and respect her privacy. We’ve spoken a little about it, but I figure the less I know the better.”

Do Daisy and Natasha eventually get to a place of mutual understanding and respect?

“I didn’t mind her,” said Kelliher. “On the show it looks like we hated each other. We were very civil with each other, and would laugh and sit with each other. It wasn’t constant arguing—that only came when it was time to serve meals…. At that stage, I had kind of given up, because I had tried everything. She didn’t want my help. She didn’t want to communicate with me…. I’m asking you if you’re serving five courses, you’re telling me no. I could stand here and keep arguing, but I wasn’t going to win in this.… We have a good relationship now. I have respect for her. But that [tension] never changes.”

What is Daisy’s read on the love triangle tensions between Gary, Sydney, and Alli?

“I wish I had been there for some of the conversations [between the three of them], because I don’t think they would have escalated as much,” said Kelliher. “I do think Sydney was pretty intense. I knew she was upset and understood why she was upset. If you’re a girl, it’s embarrassing if somebody chooses someone over you…. But some of the things she said were quite mean to Ali, and I didn’t really like that. If I had been there, that wouldn’t have happened because I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“I’ve definitely seen love triangles. I’ve been involved in love triangles. This was intense because it escalated so quickly. I didn’t really get it. I guess maybe we’re all intense people—maybe that’s why you do a TV show about yachting. But I did find the whole thing a bit weird from all sides. I was like, ‘We’ve known each other [for] like three weeks…and don’t even know each others’ last names.’ Settle down.”

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

— A First Look at Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon — 15 Summer Movies Worth Returning to Theaters For — Why Evan Peters Needed a Hug After His Big Mare of Easttown Scene — Shadow and Bone Creators Break Down Those Big Book Changes — The Particular Bravery of Elliot Page’s Oprah Interview — Inside the Collapse of the Golden Globes — Watch Justin Theroux Break Down His Career — For the Love of Real Housewives: An Obsession That Never Quits — From the Archive : The Sky’s the Limit for Leonardo DiCaprio — Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.

Julie Miller

Hollywood correspondent.

By Richard Lawson

By Chris Murphy

By David Canfield

By Matthew Allan

By Charlotte Klein

• Subscribe Now
• Digital Editions

Superyacht crash video shows 77m Go colliding with Caribbean dock

• Superyachts
• Top stories

Footage has emerged of a 235ft superyacht crashing into a luxury Caribbean yacht club’s pier, causing visible damage to both the yacht and the dock.

Onlookers were shocked last week (February 24) when a 235ft (77m) superyacht collided with the dock of Sint Maarten Yacht Club in the Caribbean.

Video footage of the incident shows the extent of the damage – while the pier took the brunt of it, the superyacht’s steel hull didn’t come off unscathed.

Computer malfunction was to blame for the sickening superyacht crash, according to local publication The Daily Herald , which adds that no-one was injured as a result.

Article continues below…

Boat insurance Q&A: Everything you need to know about why premiums are rising

Video: burning superyacht filmed in us virgin islands.

Footage has emerged of a burning superyacht that caught fire on Tuesday in the US Virgin Islands

The incident took place at around 1015 local time and the newspaper added that an insurer had already been to assess the extent of the damage by the end of the day.

If you think you’re having a bad day at work, spare a thought for the captain and crew who had to explain this situation to their yacht’s owner.

Launched by Turkish yard Turquoise Yachts in 2018, Go features a helipad, gym, jacuzzi, beach club, sauna and hospital as well as a master suite and eight guest cabins styled by London-based studio H2 Yacht Design.

She is run by a crew of up to 18 and her twin 2,575hp Caterpillar 3516C engines give her an estimated top speed of 17 knots.

Revealed: The true cost of running a $3 million superyacht

Windy sr28 cc review: world class driving in a smaller package, infynito 80: first look at this new ‘smaller’ yacht from ferretti, latest videos, yamarin 80 dc tour: a new direction for the nordic day cruiser, is this the best compact cruiser money can buy aquador 250 ht tour, exclusive tour of this €1.4million cruiser with a stunning teak interior: solaris power 52 coupé, quarken 35 cabin tour: all-new 36ft adventure boat.

Video: Stolen yacht suspect crashes into boats in Newport Beach

Video: stolen yacht crashes into boats, newport beach harbor.

One person was taken into custody Thursday after allegedly stealing a yacht and crashing it into several boats docked at the Newport Harbor. The wild crash was all caught on video.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - One person is in custody Thursday after crashing a stolen yacht in Newport Beach .

Authorities say they were originally called to the 1200 block of W. Pacific Coast Highway for a vandalism call around 10:30 a.m. When officers arrived, a boat – believed to be stolen – was seen crashed into the marina. 

Alleged stolen boat driver crashes into parked boats

One person is in custody Thursday after Newport Beach Police said they stole a boat, then crashed it into a marina soon after.

• Police chase: Suspect in custody after pursuit through Long Beach
• Steer wanders onto 210 Freeway in Lake View Terrace

Video obtained by FOX 11 shows the stolen boat crashing into and over a docked boat, before colliding with a sailboat, completely destroying its mast. According to Newport Beach Police, nobody was injured.

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter . And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android .

No information has been released about who the alleged boat thief is, or what his plan was in taking the yacht.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.

WATCH: Billionaire’s $90 Million Yacht Crashes Into Dock

By Jason Hall

March 1, 2021

A super yacht owned by Capri Sun juice tycoon Hans Peter Wild crashed into a dock at in Simpson Bay, St. Marten last week.

The 235-foot vessel experienced a computer malfunction before crashing into a wooden jetty and concrete dock, causing significant damage last Wednesday (February 24), Daily Mail reports.

It was unclear whether Wild, 79, was on board at the time of the crash. The juice tycoon is valued at $3.3 billion, according to Forbes .

Footage of the crash showed the turquoise super yacht GO -- which includes a helipad, gym steam room, swimming pool and its own onboard hospital -- slowly travel through the dock, which includes one clip of an onlooker repeatedly saying "oh my God" as the crash happens.

In a separate clip, a witness is heard saying: "It's hitting concrete now. What's going on?"

It has not yet been determined how much it will cost to repair the super yacht or the dock, but a manager for the yacht club expects the process to last several months, Daily Mail reports.

The yacht's captain was attempting to leave the Simpson Bay Lagoon when the crash took place at 10:15 a.m. on February 24. St. Maarten Yacht Club was been closed in response to the incident.

No injuries were reported during the crash.

Photo: Getty Images

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use

Watch CBS News

Video shows stolen 60-foot yacht crashing into boats in wild chase across California harbor: "Everything came crashing in on me"

March 11, 2022 / 9:31 AM EST / CBS/AP

A man who stole a 60-foot yacht was arrested Thursday after a 10-minute chase that ended with him hitting two other boats and a seawall in Newport Beach harbor, police said. The wild scene was all captured on video, CBS Los Angeles reports.

A report of someone vandalizing a yacht led police to the Pacific Coast Highway shortly after 10 a.m. but when officers arrived they said the suspect jumped into the boat and took off, authorities said.

Dylan Eckardt took video of the boat colliding with a docked sailboat, knocking down its mast.

Debora Dolly was aboard the sailboat when it was struck.

"The entire starboard side came crashing in on me and it didn't stop. It came once, twice, three times," she told CBS Los Angeles. "So the whole boat, the poles, the steel,  the enclosure, everything came crashing in on me."

Dolly said she hit her head but otherwise was fine.

After hitting the sailboat, the boat backed up, circled and, pursued by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol, continued through the harbor until it hit another parked vessel then slammed into a wall beside a bridge.

"The sounds of him hitting that wall brought everyone out of their houses," witness Kai McCartney told CBS Los Angeles.

Joel Siam, 38, of San Diego was arrested on suspicion of grand theft of a boat and possession of a stolen boat and was jailed on $3 million bail, authorities said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

The yacht was in a dock for maintenance and the keys were inside when it was taken, sheriff's deputies said.

The owner of the stolen boat told the station that it was bought new in August and was to be used for a charter business. The owner also said a half-bottle of tequila from inside the yacht was now gone.

CBS Los Angeles reported that one of the boats damaged in the incident was a 1960 Tolleycraft. The owner had just gotten delivered on Saturday — he hadn't even gotten a chance to take it out yet.

More from CBS News

Did a California wife conspire with her ex-lover to kill her husband?

"Hissing" alligator that charged Georgia deputy spotted on drone video

Prison escapees charged with murder after U.S. couple vanishes in Grenada

Dozens of Indian nationals duped into joining Russia's war against Ukraine

Virginia Beach yacht, 75-foot, catches fire, 3 people on board rescued in dramatic fashion

A 75-foot-yacht off the coast of Cape Henry in Virginia Beach caught fire, forcing its occupants to jump into the water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Mayday call for "a recreational vessel on fire" came in around 3:30 a.m. Friday, a spokesperson of the U.S. Coast Guard told USA TODAY over the phone.

Motor Vessel Savage, a 75-foot-yacht, was on fire about two miles off the coast of Cape Henry.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Three adults who were on board the vessel jumped into the water and were later rescued by a pilot boat, said U.S.C.G.

Dramatic rescue: Video shows 7 people being rescued after seaplane crashes near PortMiami: Watch

Three people aboard jumped into waters, rescued from burning yacht

"All three were picked up within approximately 10 minutes by pilot boats and no injuries are recorded," said the U.S.C.G.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department, assisting the Coast Guard, towed the boat to Fort Story, a military base on Virginia Beach, where it is still smoldering.

The fire department is fighting the fire from the shore, said the spokesperson, adding that the vessel is against a rock. The U.S.C.G. is also monitoring the situation, with a boat on scene.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, said the U.S.C.G.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia Beach yacht, 75-foot, catches fire, 3 people on board rescued in dramatic fashion

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

How Jordan Belfort's 37m superyacht Nadine sank off the coast of Sardinia

Related articles.

Coco Chanel was famously outspoken on many things, but yachting, in particular, attracted her ire. “As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom,” she was once quoted as saying.

Her solution was to buy her own yacht. A 37m with a steel hull, built by the Dutch yard Witsen & Vis of Alkmaar. The yacht passed through many hands, finally ending up belonging to the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, on whose watch she foundered and sank in 1996.

The yacht was originally built for a Frenchman under the name Mathilde , but he backed out and she caught Chanel’s eye instead. With a narrow beam, a high bow and the long, low superstructure typical of Dutch yachts of her era, she was certainly a beautiful boat. But she was also well equipped, with five staterooms in dark teak panelling, magnificent dining facilities, room for big tenders and, later, a helipad. A frequent sight along the Florida coast, she caught the eye of a young skipper called Mark Elliott.

“In those days, she was the biggest yacht on the East Coast,” he remembers. “Nobody had ever seen anything like it. I needed a wrench once and went up to the boat - Captain Norm Dahl was really friendly.” He didn’t know it then, but Elliott was destined to become the skipper of the boat himself and was at the helm when the storm of the century took her to the bottom off Sardinia.

Coco Chanel died in 1971 and sometime thereafter the yacht was renamed Jan Pamela under the new ownership of Melvin Lane Powers. He was a flamboyant Houston real estate developer, fond of crocodile skin cowboy boots and acquitted of murder in a trial that gripped the nation.

Powers sent Jan Pamela to Merrill Stevens yard in Miami, where a mammoth seven-metre section was added amidships. “We made templates for the boat where we were going to cut her in half, then she went out for another charter season,” remembers Whit Kirtland, son of the yard owner. “When the boat came back in, we cut it just forward of the engine room, rolled the two sections apart and welded it in.”

He remembers how the sun’s heat made the bare and painted metal expand at different rates. “You had to weld during certain time periods – early in the morning or late at night,” says Kirtland.

The result of the extension was a huge new seven-metre full-beam master stateroom, an extra salon and one further cabin – pushing the charter capacity to seven staterooms. During this refit, the boat’s colour was also changed from white to taupe. “No one had really done it before and it was gorgeous,” says Elliott. By 1983, Powers was bankrupt and the yacht was sold on again. She next shows up named Edgewater .

Elliott’s chance came in 1989. He was working for the established yacht owner Bernie Little, who ran a hugely profitable distribution business for Bud brewer Anheuser-Busch. “Bernie Little had always wanted to own the boat,” Elliott says. “He loved it. He bought it sight unseen – and I started a huge restoration programme, including another extension to put three metres in the cockpit.”

It was a massive task, undertaken at Miami Ship. “We pulled out all the windows, re-chromed everything, repainted – brought it back to life,” says Elliott. They also cut out old twin diesels from GM and replaced them with bigger CAT engines, doubling her horsepower to 800. “Repowered, she could cruise at up to 20 knots. She was long and skinny, like a destroyer.”

A smart hydraulic feature was also brought to life for the first time. Under two of the sofas in the main stateroom were hidden 3.6m x 1.2m glass panels giving a view of the sea under the boat. At the push of a button, the sofas lifted up and mirrors above allowed you to gaze at the seabed – from the actual bed.

Now called Big Eagle , like all of Little’s boats, she was a charter hit and her top client was a certain New York financier named Jordan Belfort. He fell in love with her and begged Little to sell to him. But he needed to secure financing, and in 1995, Little agreed to hold a note on the boat for a year if Mark Elliott stayed on as skipper.

With the boat rechristened Nadine after his wife, Belfort set about another round of refit work, restyling the interior with vintage deco and lots of mirrors, extending the upper deck this time, and fitting a crane capable of raising and stowing the Turbine Seawind seaplane.

Nadine also carried a helicopter, a 10m Intrepid tender, two 6m dinghies on the bow, four motorbikes, six jetskis, state-of-the-art dive gear. “You pretty much needed an air traffic controller when all these things were in the water,” says Elliott.

Belfort’s partying was legendary and Elliott clearly saw eye-watering things on board, but as far as he was concerned, he was there to safeguard the boat. “When Jordan Belfort became the owner, he could do whatever he wanted. I was there to protect the note,” says Elliott. “He is a brilliant mind and a lovely person. It was just when he was in his party mode, he was out of control.”

Nadine and her huge cohort of toys and vehicles plied all the usual yachting haunts on both sides of the Atlantic. But Belfort’s love story was to be short-lived. Disaster struck with the boss and guests on board during an 85-mile crossing between Civitavecchia in Italy and Calle de Volpe on Sardinia.

What was forecast to be a 20-knot blow and moderate seas degenerated into a violent 70-knot storm with crests towering above 10.6m, according to Elliott. Wave after wave pounded the superstructure, stoving in hatches and windows so that water poured below and made the boat sluggish. By a miracle the engine room remained dry and they could maintain steerage way, motoring slowly through the black of the night as rescue attempt after rescue attempt was called off.

Nadine eventually sank at dawn in over 1000m of water just 20 miles from the coast of Sardinia. Everyone had been taken off by helicopter, and there was no loss of life. Captain Mark Elliott was roundly congratulated for his handling of the incident. “The insurance paid immediately because it was the storm of the century,” he says. “I took the whole crew but one with me to [Little’s next boat] Star Ship . That was my way to come back.”

More stories

Most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

By SuperyachtNews 12 Aug 2019

Captain of 'Moatize' explains cause of Cairns marina crash

The 46m motoryacht crashed into a wharf in cairns after suffering from a technical fault….

Footage has emerged of the moment the 46m motoryacht Moatize crashed into a wharf in Cairns Marlin Marina after suffering from a technical fault. The captain and crew were able to respond to the situation in an appropriate manner and fortunately no one was hurt.

The incident occurred when the yacht was docking at the Cairns marina at around 6pm on Saturday night. The vessel only suffered cosmetic damage but collided with the pier very close to waterfront diners and, as a result, part of the marina and a nearby restaurant have closed while the site is restored.

Following the incident, local press interviewed  Moatize ’s captain about the cause of the crash and his response. “We came [into the marina] and did a tight turn… and our starboard gear was stuck ahead when I selected the go astern,” he told local news outlet The Daily Telegraph .

“We used the bow thruster to come over into a clear vision, went astern to exit the marina, but it was still going ahead at all times. We took control in the wheelhouse to try and see if it was a technical fault on the controls, but it was still going ahead again. So, we did what we’re trained to in collisions: we shut down all engines, dropped an anchor and thank God we selected a nice spot where there were no personnel.”

Regarding the damage caused to the boat and the affected infrastructure, he added; “I am not even worried about the money and neither is the owner. We are just making sure that everyone here is still functioning, that no one is put out, and there is no injury – that’s our only concern.”

Join the discussion

To post comments please Sign in or Register

When commenting please follow our house rules

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here .

Sign up to the SuperyachtNews Bulletin

Receive unrivalled market intelligence, weekly headlines and the most relevant and insightful journalism directly to your inbox.

Sign up to the SuperyachtNews Bulletin

The superyachtnews app.

Follow us on

Media Pack Request

Please select exactly what you would like to receive from us by ticking the boxes below:

SuperyachtNews.com

Register to comment