An investigation is underway following the sinking of the Swedish flagged Arcona 460 IdaLina as she took part in a World Cruising Rally.
The yacht was in the Pacific Ocean when the incident occurred, said to be caused by the rudder stock breaking and punching a 15cm hole in the yacht’s hull.
All the crew were rescued by nearby vessels, and no-one was injured.
Posting a message to a WhatsApp group, Katarina Bååth said: “The rudder stock came off completely and the movement of the rudder caused the collar around the rudder grommet to break loose, leaving us with a 15cm diameter hole below the surface of the water.”
In a statement, Arcona Yachts said it had received the sad news, and was taking the incident seriously.
“At Arcona Yachts, safety is our priority, and we are therefore taking this very seriously,” said Fredrik Malmqvist, Arcona Yachts CEO.
“We understand from the Arcona 460 owners that the rudder stock was broken, however we don’t yet know how or why.”
And he said Arcona was working closely with suppliers and key people to carry out an investigation.
Fredrik continued: “Our thoughts are with the owners, family and crew and we send our sincere thanks to the crew of the nearby vessels that assisted with the rescue.”
Further information will be released once more details are ascertained. A video posted on YouTube shows the yacht took around a minute to sink. The crew had taken to a liferaft.
