A sailboat ran aground last night, at 11:55 pm, on Praia Formosa. The alert, given by a member of the public, was confirmed by a Maritime Police team that went to the scene.
Captain Bruno Ferreira Teles explained to DIÁRIO that the sailboat was flying the French flag and that a lone male sailor, aged around 70, was on board. The man is doing well and “did not have any physical problems”.
The navigator explained to the authorities that it was a cable that had become tangled in the propeller: “He was sailing on the motor and a cable must have become tangled in the propeller and stopped the machine. These engines have a protection system that stops them automatically. He then tried to sail and as the winds were very strong he was unable to move away from the coast and ended up, due to the combined action of the wind and the currents, being pushed towards land”, he explained.
Thanks to Robert for the photos.
“It lost its engine, raised the sails, tried to sail away from the coast, but as the wind was very strong the vessel ended up drifting towards land and ended up running aground on Praia Formosa”, added the new Captain of the Port of Funchal, who took office on 25 February, replacing Captain Rui Rodrigues Teixeira.
In these types of situations, the navigator is notified to present a plan for removing the vessel. “The authorities notify him, he contacts the insurance company and then he has to establish a removal plan. He has to present a removal plan to the Captaincy and we have to assess whether all the conditions are met in terms of safety and then the sailboat is removed from there”, he explained. The French navigator is already taking the necessary steps to remove the boat from the site.
Finally, there are two ways to remove the vessel: by land or by sea, if there is no violation of the integrity of the hull.