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Monday, November 10, 2014

Yacht on the rocks in Valle Gran Rey

Inner harbour, Vueltas, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera 
A fine yacht that was moored in the bay just east off the port of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera dragged the anchor in a stiff southerly wind and ended up very badly damaged on the rocks near the entrance to the inner harbour recently. There was no one aboard at the time, but a lifeboat was on the scene as a precaution. The yacht and her German owner, a very experienced skipper, are frequent visitors to La Gomera. To add insult to injury some far-fetched and slanderous stories about this incident are still making the rounds locally and on the web, ranging from several people having had to jump off the boat into the sea, to the skipper having intended to sink the vessel in order to claim insurance and celebrating the stranding in a restaurant overlooking the scene. Well, let me assure you that none of these libellous and defaming rumours being spread are true and that the skipper's experience and seamanship are beyond doubt. It was just an accident and no one was ever in any danger. The incident once again highlights the lack of facilities for visiting pleasure craft and the need for a marina in the port of Vueltas. 
Below is a video of the scene of the incident :

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hello, I heard that the skipper had moored the boat outside the safety of the harbour to avoid paying harbour fees and that he had been advised to move the boat into the harbour before the storm?

La Gomera said...

Hi,
just to let you know that the harbour in its present state actually is not safe in a southerly blow and swell. There is very little space for yachts in the harbour and boats regularly get damaged there in poor weather. Also, it offers no facilities for yachts whatsoever but costs more per day than the luxury marina in Tazacorte on La Palma. For those reasons most real sailors prefer to more their boats in the relative safety of the bay. However, accidents can happen anywhere...

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