Schooner runs aground
All 45 passengers, 10-man crew brought ashore
A pleasure boat owned by Captain Morgan Cruises hit a reef and was taking in water just off Baħar iċ-Ċaghaq close to the caravan site late last night.
No one was injured and the 45 passengers on board the Fernandes, as well as the 10-man crew, were all brought ashore safely.
A distress call was received via radio at 8.21 p.m. with the skipper saying his boat was sinking and that he was going to run it closer to shore to prevent it from going down. The vessel had sustained damage to its stern.
A police patrol boat was first on the scene and a flare was fired by the crew to attract the attention of the police to their location.
Two Yellow Fun speedboats were next to arrive, having left the Portomaso Marina in St Julians when they heard the distress call.
Of the passengers, 35, most of whom were foreign, were transferred to these boats and onto an AFM vessel and taken to Hay Wharf in Pietà. The rest were brought ashore at Baħar iċ-Ċaghaq. Several fire-engines, ambulances and policemen were on the scene.
At that point attempts were made by one of the owners, Julian Zammit Tabone, to prevent the boat from sinking. A pump was connected to the vessel to pump water out.
But the northwesterly wind started to gather force and the swell made the operation more difficult.
The 10-man crew and the owners tied the schooner to the rocks to keep the boat from rocking and from sustaining further damage.
It was decided at about midnight to leave the salvaging of the vessel till the morning because of the heavy swell.