M/Y Saga sinks in Italy

An Italian crew has been rescued after their yacht, the 39-metre (127-foot) Saga, sank around nine nautical miles from Catanzaro Marina.

The boat was sailing from Gallipoli to Milazzo when the crew reported it was taking on water at the stern. The Guardia Costiera (Italian Coast Guard) dispatched two patrol vessels to the scene, and four crew members were immediately evacuated.

A tow was attempted to take the yacht to Crotone, with the remaining crew being transferred, but according to Italian news agency ANSA, the situation worsened due to the weather conditions and the yacht’s incline.

Reports suggest that the team attempted to strand the yacht but despite their best efforts, it sank quickly.

There will be an official investigation into the incident, but online speculation is focused around reports of water ingress from the stern.

“Beach clubs look terrific but are an extra risk. Same for the windows close to the waterline, or even below it. Building such designs is asking for trouble,” noted one commentator. “The growing trend in all boats to put windows, doors and toy access on or below the waterline is crazy and not driven by basic design logic,” said another.

According to Yachtcharterfleet, M/Y Saga was built by Monaco Yachting & Technologies. Her interior was styled by design house Jean-Marc Achy architecte and she was completed in 2007. The vessel’s exterior design was the work of Tim Heywood Design.

Saga was built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. Powered by twin diesel-electric Caterpillar (C-18) 503hp engines, the yacht had a range of up to 4,606 nautical miles and was said to accommodate up to 12 guests in six staterooms, with eight crew members.

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