On November 26, 2021, while en route from the Caribbean back to Europe, TUI's ship Mein Schiff 1 responded to a mayday/distress call issued from the sailing yacht Agecanonix (France-flagged vessel, MMSI 227942370). Two sailors were rescued, while the third one died on the boat before the ship's arrival at the scene.
The sailboat was participating in the annual ARC Race 2021 (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers)- ranked the world's largest Trans Ocean regatta. The boat was en route from the Canary Islands (Spain) to St Lucia Island (Windward Islands, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea).
The emergency call was issued while the boat was south of the Azores Islands (Portugal) after one of the sailors injured his head due to rough seas (wind speeds up to 40 knots/75 kph/45 mph). Reportedly, the man died instantly. The mayday was received by France's MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) while the rescue operation was coordinated by Azores's MRCC Ponta Delgada SAR (Search and Rescue).
TUI's Schiff 1 (mastered by Captain Omar Caruana) was the closest in the area. The liner (carrying ~1440 German tourists) changed course and arrived at the scene on Nov 27th (at ~9:30 pm UTC). A crewed lifeboat was launched and approached the yacht. However, due to strong winds, after several attempts, the rescue was suspended and continued/completed on Nov 28th.
Our satellite tracker shows the ship's maneuvers in the area on Nov 28th.
The incident occurred while Mein Schiff 1 was completing the 35-day Transatlantic cruise roundtrip from homeport Bremerhaven (itinerary "Karibische Inseln Ab Bremerhaven 1"/October 31 thru December 5).
| Date / Time | Port |
|---|---|
| 31 Oct 19:00 | Departing from Bremerhaven, Germany |
| 05 Nov 08:00 - 19:00 | Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores |
| 12 Nov 07:30 - 19:00 | Tortola Island, Road Town, BVI |
| 13 Nov 07:30 - 19:00 | Philipsburg, St Maarten Island, Dutch Antilles |
| 15 Nov 07:00 - 19:00 | Catalina Island, Dominicana |
| 16 Nov 07:00 - 22:00 | La Romana, Dominicana |
| 18 Nov 07:30 - 19:00 | Oranjestad, Aruba Island, Dutch Antilles |
| 19 Nov 07:30 - 22:00 | Willemstad, Curacao Island, Dutch Antilles |
| 20 Nov 07:30 - 19:00 | Kralendijk, Bonaire Island, Dutch Antilles |
| 22 Nov 07:30 - 19:00 | Castries, St Lucia Island |
| 29 Nov 08:00 - 18:00 | Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal |
| 05 Dec 08:00 | Arriving in Bremerhaven |
For more Mein Schiff 1 incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.