Disaster in Menorca: dismasting the Tuiga of the Yacht Club de Monaco
THE PERFECT GIFT!
Give or treat yourself to a subscription to the print + digital Journal of Sailing and for only 69 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
A violent storm hit hard on the second day of the Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Época, causing the dismasting of the prestigious Tuiga, flagship of the Yacht Club de Monaco, in Mahón waters. The accident, which occurred near the island of l’Aire, involved one of the most iconic boats in world classic sailing.
Winds at 53 knots devastate Copa del Rey: Monegasque flagship victim of extreme weather conditions
The crew of the Tuiga was upwind when a sudden wind shift of about 30 degrees caught the historic vessel by surprise. The dramatic sequence of events unfolded in a few fatal moments: the violent rump, with gusts up to 53 knots (about 98 km/h), caused a sudden change in wind direction.
The boat, which was sailing with three fully capped jibs, failed to react to the new weather conditions in a timely manner. The difficulty of maneuvering a vintage 1909 boat in such extreme conditions made any emergency maneuvering impossible when 50 knots of wind suddenly arrived.
Amateur footage circulating online shows the critical moments immediately before the mast collapsed. The weight of the sails and the violence of the wind caused the trapezoidal mast to break, collapsing, dragging the entire rigging with it. No injuries were reported among those on board according to the first available information.
The phenomenon of sudden thunderstorms: a summer of extreme events
The incident at Tuiga comes amid a summer characterized by sudden and violent weather phenomena that have repeatedly hit the Mediterranean. These events are becoming increasingly frequent: the Mediterranean, being an enclosed sea, experiences a rise in temperatures that more often causes these extreme weather phenomena, often almost unpredictable.
Only a few days earlier, on Aug. 20 in Elba, a similar incident affected other boats. During an initially calm day, a 70-knot gust of wind suddenly arrived, causing a Nautitech 46 Fly, a chartered catamaran that literally ended up inside the bathrooms of a bathing establishment, to be beached. The crew had just ditched the boat to go eat when the sudden storm turned a calm day into a nightmare.
The Tuiga: a jewel of vintage sails
The Tuiga is one of the most prestigious boats in international sailing. Designed in 1909 by legendary Scottish architect William Fife III, this 15-meter International Tonnage auric cutter was originally built for the Duke of Medinaceli, friend and racing rival of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
With an overall length of 27.35 meters and a beam of 4.15 meters, the Tuiga is considered one of the few survivors of the prestigious 15 Meters S.I. class. Restored in the 1990s by the Fairlie Restorations shipyard in England and purchased in 1995 by Prince Albert II of Monaco, she has become the symbol of the Yacht Club de Monaco and a star in major international regattas.
The Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Época represents one of the most prestigious events on the international vintage boat racing calendar. The event, held annually in the waters of Mahón, attracts historic boats from all over the world.
The accident at Tuiga prematurely marked the end of the Monegasque flagship’s participation in the regatta, just days before her long-awaited arrival at the Vele d’Epoca di Imperia (Sept. 2-6), where she was supposed to be one of the absolute stars of the 21st edition of the Ligurian event.
Share:
Check out the latest issue
Are you already a subscriber?
Ultimi annunci
Our social
Sign up for our Newsletter
We give you a gift
Sailing, its stories, all boats, accessories. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the Sailing Newspaper editorial staff each week. Plus we give you one month of GdV digitally on PC, Tablet, Smartphone. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button. You will receive a code to activate your month of GdV for free!
You may also be interested in.
Winning a world championship in your own land is a crazy thrill. Right Magdalena?
Winning a sailing rainbow title is a huge satisfaction. Winning it in one’s own land is even more so. Maddalena Spanu, born in 2006, from Cagliari (but living in Oristano), is the first women’s Formula Wing world champion in history.
Monotype gathering more than 70 boats at the Worlds after 30 years
Can you find the perfect, and long-lived, racing boat in just 7.32 meters in length? You sure can, especially if the boat in question is called a Melges 24, and proving it, yet another confirmation, was the class World Championship
The 2025 52 Super Series season comes to a close: here’s how it went in Porto Cervo
The 52 Super Series-Porto Cervo-Range Rover Sailing Week, which was held Sept. 22-27 in Porto Cervo, in the waters in front of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and which closed the club’s 2025 sports season, has come to an end.
Les Voiles de St. Tropez 2025: vintage boats, maxi yachts and modern hulls for an exceptional edition
From September 27 to October 5, 2025, the Gulf of St. Tropez will welcome more than 240 yachts, including 70 units over 20 meters. Between traditional, modern and maxis, this 27th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez promises to be
