An 11 metre Belgian yacht ran aground last week on a sand bank near Cabedelo Beach South, less than a kilometer from the bar at the port of Figueira da Foz, Portugal, according to media reports.

Published 3 years ago

As reported by Then24 (photo from news article).

The Cumulus, an 11-metre-long Belgian flagged sailboat crewed by two citizens of the same nationality [a 44-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman] had only just left the port of Figueira da Foz, at approximately 9:30 am on Friday October 8th, when it got into difficulties.

Instructors from a nearby Surf School who witnessed the event managed to rescue the couple from the water and take them to a nearby beach.

Eduardo Charana, one of the surf monitors who participated in the rescue, said that when they reached the beach, they saw the sailboat “a bit lost, in a place where it shouldn’t be”, approximately 150 metres from the beach near the surf zone. 

In view of the situation, they alerted the Captaincy of the Port of Figueira da Foz.

As soon as a wave came, the boat rolled. “When we got to the foot of the boat, they (the crew) had already managed to get out. The lady was in shock, as if paralyzed, she couldn’t move but was actually fine. We got on board to help as we were worried that she wouldn’t have the strength to reach the sand”, he stated.

On the beach, the couple was rescued by firefighters and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM). The sailboat had damage to the mast and rudder due to the action of the swell in the surf zone.

João Lourenço, commander of the Port of Figueira da Foz, confirmed that the cause of the accident remained unknown and would be investigated by the Captaincy. The boat is currently stranded in an area where there is no danger to other vessels but the owners will have to provide the authorities with a plan of how to remove it.

Lourenço confirmed, “Where it is, it will hardly ever float again on its own. From the experience I have, with the rising tide, it will be pushed by the sea towards the land”.

Asked about the possible relationship between low tide and the sailboat stranding – the peak of low tide at Figueira da Foz was at 10:39, with a height of only 30 centimeters – João Lourenço refused to “speculate” on the reasons, reaffirming that an investigation into the accident will take place.

A source from the communication office of the District Hospital of Figueira da Foz (HDFF) confirmed that the two Belgian crew members were admitted to the emergency room at the health unit – located near Cabedelo beach – “as a matter of precaution”.

In addition to the surfers involved, the operation at Cabedelo beach involved 27 operational and eight vehicles from the fire brigade Sapadores and Volunteers of Figueira da Foz, INEM, the Maritime Police and the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos.

Dealing with the entrance at this port can be difficult. Read more at Figueira da Foz, Noonsite.

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Related News:

Sailboat with Belgian couple runs aground on Figueira da Foz beach (Then24 News)

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.