Swedish boat builders, Arcona, has launched an investigation into the circumstances that caused one of its vessel models to break up and sink, around 300 miles east of the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Published 2 weeks ago

Crew Uninjured After Yacht Sinks

Source:  Practical Boat Owner

Arcona Yachts has started an investigation into the sinking of the Swedish-flagged Arcona 460, IdaLina, in the Pacific Ocean, after reports that the rudder stock failed, punching a hole in the yacht’s hull.

The two crew – Ingmar Ravudd and Katarina Bääth Ravudd – were uninjured in the incident, which took place on 8 April, 2024. They were rescued from their liferaft by the crew of another vessel which was nearby and able to come to their aid.

Niklas Ravudd, son of the sailors, wrote the following on a social media fund-raising post about the sinking of IdaLina:

“The rudder stock went completely off and my Dad and Tina struggled for two hours to stabilize it. They had to remove wires and autopilot to try and lower the rudder to plug the hole. But the rudder had damaged the lower part of the hull too much and a 6-inch (15 cm) hole was filling the boat with water quite fast. They tried to plug the hole with the equipment onboard but it was no use. Two bilge pumps worked hard too but it wasn’t enough. Water was already 8 inches (2 cm) in the saloon and they had to plan to abandon ship, they packed as much as they could and jumped into the life raft.

“They were lucky that the Swedish boat “Pacific Wind” was nearby and came to their rescue just before IdaLina went down in the Pacific. My dad’s always wanted to sail around the world, and now they are stuck in French Polynesia.”

In a statement, the CEO of Arcona Yachts, Fredrik Malmqvist, said, “At Arcona Yachts, safety is our priority, and we are therefore taking this very seriously.

“We understand from the Arcona 460 owners that the rudder stock was broken, however, we don’t yet know how or why. We are working closely with our suppliers and key people to immediately investigate this serious incident further.

“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. As soon as we know more, we will release further information,” added Malmqvist.

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Related News:

• Statement from Arcona Yachts
• First the rudder stock breaks, then the Arcona sinks (Yacht.de)
• Swedish boatbuilder makes statement after yacht sinks in the Pacific (Afloat.ie)

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Related Links:

• Arcona Yachts

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