Arcona 460 sinks after rudder failure in the Pacific Ocean

An Arcona 460 plane owned by a Swedish couple sank in the Pacific Ocean. The boat sank after the rudder broke and the boat entered the water. The passengers were rescued by the crew of another sailing yacht.

Destruction before their eyes

Arcona 460 Edalena With Swedish owners Ingemar and Katarina, sailing on April 8 in the Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles east of the Marquesas Islands, when things went wrong. In average conditions, the aluminum rudder stock breaks just below the quarter.

The rudder, which may be a bottom bearing, remains attached to the boat. Rudder blade movements longer than 1.50 m generate a huge amount of force at the short end, and the remainder of the rudder stock opens the hull. The boat takes on water and the crew sees the boat disappear into the depths of the life raft. The pictures are heartbreaking.

On their Instagram @idalina_sailing The couple writes the following (translated from Swedish):
“Unfortunately we have Edalena He died yesterday.
Our rudder stock has broken. We fought for two hours to stabilize him. We removed the quadrants and autopilot to lower the rest of the rudder. Unfortunately, the lower bearing had already come loose and a 15cm diameter hole appeared, causing the boat to enter the water. We tried to bridge the gap with everything we had on board. The 220-volt pump was working hard, but there was already 20 centimeters of water above the ground. The pumps we had were not enough and we prepared to leave the boat. We packed what we could take with us in waterproof bags.
Now we are safe on Swedish pacific winds, Which appeared at the same moment that IdaLina disappeared into the depths. We are grateful that the friendly Swedish crew of the two yachts turned around to come and rescue us. “We were in the lifeboat when they arrived.”

Arrived safely

The couple has now arrived safely in the Marquesas. The skipper's son is one GoFundMe campaign She began raising money so that the IdaLina crew could complete their intended journey.

research

Arcona Yachts issued a press release the day after the accident, expressing its condolences and announcing an investigation.

CEO Fredrik Malmqvist wrote:
“(…) At Arkona, safety is our priority and therefore we take it very seriously. We understand from the owners that the rudder stock was broken, but we do not yet know how and why. We will speak with our suppliers and the appropriate people to further investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with the owners, their families and the crew who assisted in the rescue and as soon as we have more information we will let you know.”

Arcona Yachts

High quality Swedish brand Arcona usually builds high quality yachts. The Arcona 460 is an entirely sandwich made of fiberglass and vinylester to specifications and has weathertight bulkheads. This specific model is not through To sail Tested.

Jeeva

Rudder and rudder mounting is provided for Arcona (and for many European builders) by the major Danish manufacturer Jefa. The Arcona 460's rudder stock is made of aluminum. From the video posted by the owners, it appears that the rudder stock broke just below the quarter, below the upper bearing. The fracture surface in the video appears to show signs of fatigue.

research

The yard launched an investigation into the cause of the rudder failure. The rudder will no longer be able to be inspected; The ocean depth at the site is more than 4,000 metres. When it becomes better known, you can read about it on Zeilen.nl.

Photo (c) IdaLina_Sailing

Tags: arcona Last modified: April 18, 2024