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Inside Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Crash, and the Dramatic Aftermath

By Julie Miller

Below Deck viewers have survived kitchen fires, nightmare charter guests , dramatic dismissals, drug scandals , and soured romantic relationships. But Monday’s episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, “Total Ship Show,” is unprecedented in franchise history, in terms of its sheer disaster quotient. Within the first five minutes of the episode, the Parsifal yacht crashes into a stone dock in high winds, destroying the end of the vessel and totaling Captain Glenn Shephard ’s already-dented ego. (Last week, Parsifal suffered a less serious collision. We hope the sailing yacht is not cursed.) The rest of the episode unravels like a high-paced thriller set aboard an out-of-control luxury yacht.

The villains: the shrill, gluten-free charter guests, who are too self-involved to notice the Parsifal ’s jacked transom door. The dramatic B-plot: the chef screwing up a five-course meal by serving steak after dessert. As if this were not enough action for a single episode, there is also an STD scare that forces an otherwise respectable woman to reckon with an indiscretion.

“It was almost like an embarrassment of riches,” said Below Deck executive producer Courtland Cox, of the chart-topping chaos in Croatia. “It’s amazing that this was all happening, but it’s also difficult to tell all of these stories in an interesting way within a limited amount of time per episode.” Some viewers complained that the season was starting off too smoothly, but Cox trusted the process and knew that such interesting cast members would yield climactic story lines. “With any great narrative structure, you want to have peaks and valleys that eventually crescendo into something interesting…. The yacht crashing, guests being crazy, and Jean-Luc [Cerza Lanaux] being worried about getting an STD, all that stuff is the seasoning.”

Ahead, Cox and Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher take us behind the scenes of Monday’s bombshell episode to answer all of our burning questions—about everything from the crash to the onboard romances, including Dani’s pregnancy announcement.

Executive producer Cox was tucked away in a tiny control room on the Parsifal during both accidents, where he was able to watch what was happening from three different camera vantage points, and hear what was happening from the walkie-talkie dialogue on deck. Cox said that he knew that the Parsifal was going to hit the dock about five seconds before it happened—when first mate Gary King began calling out the shrinking measurements between the yacht and the dock, but the boat, because of the intense wind and swell, kept hurtling toward the dock at full speed. Because of a mechanical error that short-circuited the thrusters, Captain Glenn was not able to propel the vessel in the reverse direction.

As the ship sped toward the dock, the Below Deck producer juggled a contradictory range of concerns: the fear of a captive passenger aboard an out-of-control vessel; worry for his fellow shipmates; heartbreak for Captain Glenn, who was about to bite it in front of multiple cameras; and, conversely, the shark-like instincts of a reality-TV producer keen to capture the chaotic melee in all of its gruesome glory.

“The human part of me, my heart aches for Glenn,” Cox told Vanity Fair. Still, he continued, “My job is to capture what’s actually happening—so we told our camera operators, ‘Stay on Glenn.’ We don’t push right up in his face or get in his way, but the story in the moment was that Glenn hit the dock. How was he going to rectify the situation?”

In addition to seeing the crash, viewers also witness Captain Glenn’s spirit breaking close up—as the sweet Parsifal pilot realizes, in devastatingly real time, that he has not only incurred thousands of dollars in yacht damages, but has done so with a camera trained on him.

“I probably watched this episode 15 times in various incarnations, and every time I see Glenn’s face in the immediate aftermath of hitting that dock, I still get very emotional,” said Cox. “It’s a catastrophic moment for any yacht captain when you do damage to a boat. It’s the worst possible thing. And I also know that that’s compounded by a factor of a million because there are TV cameras on you.”

Cox has produced 16 seasons’ worth of Below Deck, and called the crash “the second-most intense moment ever on the series.” (The first-most intense was a near-death accident in 2018 during which deckhand Ashton Pienaar was pulled overboard after his ankle was caught in ropes.) “As a producer, it’s amazingly compelling. But as a person onboard, it’s terrifying…. But Glenn is a consummate professional. He didn’t try to deflect or make excuses or try to tap dance his way out of it. He went quickly into crisis mode, damage mode.”

Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher said that watching the crash in the episode was worse than living it, “because I was downstairs when it happened. I have never seen a boat that crashed the dock or been in a boat that crashed the dock.”

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Speaking about Glenn, Kelliher said, “He was pretty upset at the time, but you quickly calm down. It was an accident, and the main thing is nobody got hurt. It’s like banging your car. You get the insurance sorted. You learn from it. And you move on.”

How quickly did the episode’s events happen in real life?

The unfolded over the course of about 72 hours, according to Cox. “The boat hits the dock, it looks terrible, and Glenn’s like, ‘Well, the guests are getting here in four hours.’… The crew did a great job at kind of compartmentalizing, and putting the dock behind us as these charter guests come on. And the story becomes about J.L.’ s anxiety about the STD, and [chef] Natasha’s anxiety about these guests having crazy demands that are emotionally taxing on the heels of a traumatic event…. It’s exhausting for them.”

What did producers make of another unprecedented plot twist: J.L.’s on-camera concerns about a potential sexually transmitted disease?

This twist surprised even Cox. “I’m a fossil who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Cox. “What was going through my head was, ‘There’s a very easy way he could have prevented this—by using some kind of protection. If you roll the dice, you kinda gotta accept what happens to you. I’m not a heartless monster TV producer. I don’t want anyone to ever suffer or go through something they have an existential crisis over. In that moment, you’re hoping that it’s at least one of the lesser STDs that is easily treated.”

When did producers discover that Dani was pregnant? (The cast member revealed her pregnancy on Instagram last month.)

“Dani brought it to our attention when we were pretty far into the postproduction process,” said Cox. “Even once Dani found out, I think she kind of wanted to sit with [the news] herself. Then she let us know and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m pregnant.’ We said, ‘Okay, great.’ I left that up to her and how much information she wanted to give us. My first reaction was, ‘That’s fantastic. Congratulations.’ Because she made it clear throughout the season that she wanted a family. The rest of that is for Dani to figure out.”

“I really don’t ask Dani much about it,” added Kelliher in a separate phone call. “I’m very aware that that she probably feels like she’s explaining herself to a lot of people. So I try and respect her privacy. We’ve spoken a little about it, but I figure the less I know the better.”

Do Daisy and Natasha eventually get to a place of mutual understanding and respect?

“I didn’t mind her,” said Kelliher. “On the show it looks like we hated each other. We were very civil with each other, and would laugh and sit with each other. It wasn’t constant arguing—that only came when it was time to serve meals…. At that stage, I had kind of given up, because I had tried everything. She didn’t want my help. She didn’t want to communicate with me…. I’m asking you if you’re serving five courses, you’re telling me no. I could stand here and keep arguing, but I wasn’t going to win in this.… We have a good relationship now. I have respect for her. But that [tension] never changes.”

What is Daisy’s read on the love triangle tensions between Gary, Sydney, and Alli?

“I wish I had been there for some of the conversations [between the three of them], because I don’t think they would have escalated as much,” said Kelliher. “I do think Sydney was pretty intense. I knew she was upset and understood why she was upset. If you’re a girl, it’s embarrassing if somebody chooses someone over you…. But some of the things she said were quite mean to Ali, and I didn’t really like that. If I had been there, that wouldn’t have happened because I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“I’ve definitely seen love triangles. I’ve been involved in love triangles. This was intense because it escalated so quickly. I didn’t really get it. I guess maybe we’re all intense people—maybe that’s why you do a TV show about yachting. But I did find the whole thing a bit weird from all sides. I was like, ‘We’ve known each other [for] like three weeks…and don’t even know each others’ last names.’ Settle down.”

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Boat Crash Was Worse Than It Looked in All Those Clips

The collision between Gary and Daisy during the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew ’s day off had nothing on what was to come. May 10’s episode finally brought the boat crash that Below Deck Sailing Yacht had been teasing since before the season started, and somehow, it was even worse than it seemed in all those clips. The problems began on a particularly windy morning, hours before the crew needed to pick up guests for their next charter. Soon after deckhand Sydney Zaruba noticed the wind was turning the boat, the stern started scraping against the dock. To get away, the crew had to unplug the yacht from shore power on the dock — which became a problem of its own once the boat was away from the dock, but unable to move in the wind. With chief engineer Colin Macrae off the boat on some chief-engineer business, first mate Gary King had to figure out Parsifal III ’s generator system to get the yacht power. But their worries didn’t end once Gary got power to the boat — the deck crew then had to get the anchors up after they’d been dragging. And you thought sailing was stressful!

After the yacht got safely away from the dock, the crew surveyed the boat’s scratches. “It could’ve been a lot more serious damage,” Captain Glenn Shepard said in a confessional. “Like a season-ending kind of damage.” “Someone could lose their life in a situation like this,” reflected deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux. And once Colin got back on board, he added that “it would’ve been a totally different situation” if Gary hadn’t been able to turn on the generator. “I think Gary saved our ass.”

As it turned out, though, the crew wasn’t out of the woods. When they headed back to the dock to pick up guests, they ran into more issues with the strong winds. “Here we go again, with the wind blowing us into the dock,” Gary said in a confessional. “We literally cannot catch a break.” As the crew began docking the boat, Parsifal III ’s bow thrusters stopped working in the wind — sending the boat right into the dock for a second time, in the even-worse crash that we saw in the season’s trailer.

Will this one be the “season-ending kind of damage” Captain Glenn talked about? While the episode closes on a particularly stressful “To be continued …” Glenn shared on a pre-season Reddit AMA that it still “could have been a lot worse. “A repair like that would probably run $10k-$20k,” he wrote, adding that the boat already needed to be repainted. “That is always covered by insurance,” he added. “The boats are well insured.”

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Two more crash victims identified as Monroe Co. boat club plans fundraiser, vigil for victims

Two injured victims from Saturday's crash at the Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township have been revealed as the boat club announced it will host a spaghetti dinner event to raise money for victims of the crash along with a candlelight vigil.

The boat club plans to host a dinner from 1-7 p.m. May 19 at Fireman's Park in Newport, about 5 miles northwest of the boat club, officials said in a post on social media. A candlelight vigil, meanwhile, is planned at 7 p.m. Friday at the club, 6332 Brancheau Road.

"You asked and we listened, we are very overwhelmed/thrilled/excited at the outpouring of support from our community!" said the boat club about the fundraiser, which will also honor first responders. "... We are asking for basket donations,  gift cards, etc to raffle off."

The fundraiser and vigil come amid other fundraising appeals, including two more GoFundMe campaigns to help with funerals, medical expenses and therapy for victims and their families reeling from the crash at the boat club where a birthday party for a 3-year-old was being held.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Monday identified the two children killed as siblings Alanah Phillips, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 4. They died at the scene, police said.

Nine others were hospitalized.

Krystal Miller said her 14-year-old son was one of the critically injured children in the crash, describing the incident as "a tragedy that no words can express."

Miller's son "was hit so hard by the car it broke his femur bone at the hip," she said on a GoFundMe page . "He also lost 2 baby cousins in this incident and almost another cousin which is also his best friend..."

In another fundraising page, Diane Medina was attending the birthday gathering with her three granddaughters and was seriously injured, according to Carrie Williams, a GoFundMe campaign organizer who set up the page to help with her care. The granddaughters "by the grace of god they were not seriously injured," Williams added.

Medina "sustained serious injuries which include but (are) not limited to internal bleeding, fractured pelvis in (three) places requiring surgery with another one possible, a broken nose which requires surgery, laceration to her head and large hematoma to her right arm," Williams said.

More: Community raises money for Monroe Co. boat club victims

Fundraiser organizer Diane Harrington provided an update Tuesday on her sister, Mariah Dodds, and nephew, Jayden Phillips, who underwent surgery Sunday, according to her  GoFundMe campaign . Harrington said the mother and son were in "more stable condition."

"Thank you to the funeral homes, cemeteries, churches, and continued donations for the family," Harrington said. "At this time arrangements are on hold until Mariah and Jayden are in a more stable condition for such decisions and planning. May God bless your kindness."

Another  GoFundMe page was created for Lia, a recent graduate. She was reportedly listed in critical condition at Beaumont Hospital in Trenton. She was attending her cousin’s birthday party Saturday, the GoFundMe page said.

Three women, ages 66, 62, and 57, suffered minor injuries. A 42-year-old man also sought treatment on his own for minor injuries, the Sheriff's Office said.

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The Real Cause Of Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Scary Boat Crash

Below Deck Sailing Yacht fans can't get over season two's bombshell moment — a.k.a. that terrifying boat crash at the center of it all. Although the latest season is jam-packed with all the nautical drama, both below and above deck, the crash is what we can't stop thinking about. Luckily, Captain Glenn Shephard gave all the details on the accident to E! News , and to be honest, it's still pretty scary!

In the moment that has our hearts racing, the Parsifal III can be seen crashing into a docking wall, all the while Captain Glenn yells out expletives. While the Captain is known to be calm, cool, and collected, the alarming incident was enough to make him lose it.

As Captain Glenn explained to E! News , the crash was "the first time that's happened." As he explained, it is "fortunate it's the first time, but unfortunate that it happened." Adding to his regret, the Captain is also sorry for his use of curse words — but adamant that the event warranted it. As he told the outlet, he is "a sailor" after all, and that he "swear[s] occasionally." He stated, "obviously I get frustrated and things happened ... when something like that happens, it's pretty big."

Everything to know about Below Deck Sailing Yacht season two's boat crash

The Captain told Showbiz Cheat Sheet his cursing was due to thinking the crash was much worse. He explained, "In the end, it's not quite as bad as I feared. So I may have overreacted ... but yeah, it's pretty serious."

So what caused the crash in the first place? As the sailor described, it was all due to a "throttle malfunction." He continued, "there is a computer in between the throttles and the propeller to manage the load on the engine ... I was using a maneuver mode that I don't usually use, and I think my normal actions, in that mode, was a bit too much for the computer" (via E! News ). Not used to the mode at hand, the boat soon slammed into the dock – which was a bit embarrassing for the seasoned expert.

As the Captain stated, "I've avoided [crashing] all my career and, of course, now with the cameras rolling it happens." That being said, he isn't letting it get to him, and we're here for it! Although he made it clear that "hitting the dock like that can be a season-ending incident," he reminded everyone that these "things do happen." But haters are of course gonna hate, and Captain Glenn knows he will "take a lot of flak" for the incident.

Although not sailing experts ourselves, we're more than a bit addicted to this new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht  — and no, as promised by Captain Glenn himself, he didn't just crash "for the drama." Whew!

Woman charged in Monroe County boat club crash released on $1.5M bond

A Newport woman charged with eight crimes related to the  fatal crash  at the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County was released Thursday on a $1.5 million bond, the jail and her attorney confirmed with the Free Press.

Bill Colovos, the attorney for Marshella Chidester, 66, said she was able to post bond via a surety company.

Chidester was released two days after she was arraigned in Monroe County District Court on the charges, which include two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of driving while intoxicated causing death.

She's accused of slamming an SUV on Saturday into the boat club, where a birthday party was taking place. Two children were killed and over a dozen others injured, several still hospitalized. Colovos argued in court that his client suffers from "epileptic type seizures" in her legs. He said she had only one glass of wine that day. 

Upon Chidester's release Thursday, Colovos doubled down on his argument that a medical issue caused the crash, telling the Free Press his client suffers from neuropathy, "blacked out" from a seizure and is "very remorseful."

She started having the seizures in November and a doctor told her to stop driving for two months, but did not restrict her further, Colovos said in court earlier this week.

"She feels absolutely horrible. To black out, then all of the sudden be told that two young children were killed ... it's like a bad dream you wake up from," Colovos said.

Colovos is still waiting on a medical report that would determine his client's blood alcohol level around the time of the crash. The prosecutor said in court that a preliminary alcohol breath test was "significantly over the legal limit" but he was not specific.

"Believe me, I'm waiting for it," Colovos said.

Mariah Dodds and three of her children were attending the party. Two of Dodds' children, 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and 4-year-old Zayn Phillips, were killed. Dodds and her 11-year-old son survived, and were being treated at a local hospital. Both of the boy's legs and some ribs are broken and his skull is fractured.

During Chidester's arraignment on Wednesday, Monroe County Prosecutor Jeffery Yorkey asked for the $1.5 million cash bond, pointing to a history of "severe substance abuse" allegedly corroborated by friends and family of Chidester and that Chidester admitted to drinking that day.

Judge Christian Horkey agreed to the bond and set conditions upon her release: Chidester is prohibited from consuming alcohol or any illegal substances and is prohibited from driving. She must undergo substance abuse testing and monitoring, which includes wearing a tether, Horkey said.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442 or [email protected] .

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After a collision, the U.S. boat retires from final leg of Ocean Race, asks for a ruling

CORRECTS TO THURSDAY, JUNE 15, NOT FRIDAY, JUNE 16 - This handout provided by The Ocean Race shows the 11th Hour Racing team boat, left, being T-boned by Guyot environnement — Team Europe during the last leg of The Ocean Race around-the-world sailing competition near Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, June 15, 2023. (The Ocean Race via AP)

CORRECTS TO THURSDAY, JUNE 15, NOT FRIDAY, JUNE 16 - This handout provided by The Ocean Race shows the damaged 11th Hour Racing team boat after being T-boned by Guyot environnement — Team Europe during the last leg of The Ocean Race around-the-world sailing competition near Aarhus, Denmark, Thursday, June 16, 2023. (The Ocean Race via AP)

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The leading boat in The Ocean Race dropped out of the last leg of the around-the-world sailing competition on Friday and asked the sport’s overseers for compensation in the standings to make up for the collision that punctured its carbon fiber hull .

Six months after leaving Spain on a 32,000-nautical mile (37,000-mile, 59,000-km) circumnavigation of the globe, 11th Hour Racing was T-boned by Guyot environnement — Team Europe 17 minutes after leaving The Hague, the Netherlands, for the seventh and final leg. Guyot skipper Benjamin Dutreux has admitted the collision was his fault.

Newport, Rhode Island-based 11th Hour has filed a Request for Redress to the World Sailing International Jury. It is empowered under the Racing Rules of Sailing to compensate a boat when “a boat’s score or place in a race or series has been or may be, through no fault of her own, made significantly worse.”

11th Hour was atop the leaderboard through six legs and the corresponding in-port races with 33 points. Team Holcim — PRB was second, with 31 points, followed by Team Malizia (27), Biotherm Racing (19) and Guyot environnement (2). The seventh leg, to Genoa, Italy, is worth five points to the winner, four for second place and three for third; without a ruling by the jury, 11th Hour would get zero points.

11th Hour skipper Charlie Enright said crews are working to repair the boat so it can rejoin what it started.

“We are working around the clock to repair the boat as quickly as possible, and our intent is to sail to Genoa to rejoin the fleet and complete this lap around our blue planet,” he said. “Everyone is obviously devastated — no one wants to finish a race like this — but spirits are high within the team, and everyone is focused on finishing this incredible race on a high note.”

The 11th Hour team had won three straight legs of the race to move atop the standings, giving the race’s only U.S. entry a chance for victory if it had finished in front of or only one boat behind the Swiss Team Holcim. But Dutreux said he didn’t see the American boat, which had the right of way, and crashed his bowsprit into the 11th Hour hull.

“I take all responsibility. It’s our fault for sure,” said Dutreux, whose last-place boat immediately retired from the leg. “I’m very sorry about this. I really hope they will get back and win this race. ... We will try to help them all we can.”

11th Hour returned to port and began trying to fix the gaping hole in its hull, but decided on Friday it could not rejoin the race.

The crash was the latest setback for 11th Hour and its co-founder Enright, a Rhode Island native and Brown University alum who is in his third around-the-world race. He finished fifth in both previous attempts — sustaining two major setbacks in the previous edition in 2018: a collision with a fishing boat and a dismasting.

In this year’s race, 11th Hour noticed cracks on its foils near the end of the first leg, which departed from Alicante, Spain, on Jan. 15. The boat also triggered its hazard alarm after hitting what they suspected was a whale. Two crew members were injured in the collision.

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US and Japanese sailing boats collide during Bermuda Grand Prix – video

In the first race of the Bermuda Grand Prix, the US and Japanese teams collided and became entangled. The crash ruled both boats out of the rest of the day's racing and also led to the US boat capsize shortly afterwards. It was the first event for Jimmy Spithill, helmsman and America's Cup winner, as part of the US SailGP team.

Source: APTN

Mon 26 Apr 2021 11.41 BST Last modified on Mon 26 Apr 2021 13.27 BST

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Captain Glenn Shephard Reveals the Surprising Cost to Repair the Yacht Crash Damage

There's been a recent development in what actually caused the Below Deck Sailing Yacht accident.

The Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew gathered virtually to discuss the biggest moments of Season 2 during Part 1 of the reunion on Watch What What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on June 21. So, of course, that included a look back at the crash into the dock , the biggest boat crash in Below Deck history.

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Watch Below Deck Sailing Yacht on Peacock and the Bravo app . 

As you may recall this season, after hitting the dock earlier in the day, the Parsifal III  smashed into the dock a second time when it malfunctioned and the vessel continued to move backward, even as Captain Glenn Shephard tried to propel it forward. The yacht totally uprooted the dock's concrete blocks in the crash, but fortunately, the boat only really incurred cosmetic damage to the transom.

Captain Glenn wasn't 100 percent certain what caused the crash immediately following the accident or even in the months after . However, he recently learned what actually led to the malfunction, thanks to Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 1's chief engineer Byron Hissey . "I kind of understand what happened now. I talked to Byron a couple days ago, and he had a very similar problem. When you're in high revs, when you're maneuvering, and you go under a stern, it gets stuck sometimes, and it's exactly what happened. I didn't realize it until I spoke to him," Captain Glenn shared. "He spoke to the manufacturer of the, it's a controllable pitch propeller, and he said it's a known issue. I didn't know about it. I wish I had. I wouldn't have used the higher revs."

Catch Up on BDSY Season 3 in the Free Bravo App!

Even though the damage to the stern of the boat looked pretty nasty after the accident, it actually wasn't that costly to repair, Captain Glenn revealed during the reunion. "The people who painted the boat just prior to this season owed us a free transom paint job," he told host Andy Cohen during the sit-down. "So I think it was a couple grand just to fill it."

Captain Glenn explained that they were fortunate that the transom hit the dock in the way that it did. "It was just filler that was damaged, which we were really lucky," he said. "Those stones lifting up and riding up the back, that was like a massive shock absorber, and it saved us."

As for the cost to repair the dock, Captain Glenn said, "I think it was five, six grand. Our insurance took care of that."

All in all, it sounds like the real damage was done to Captain Glenn's ego. "Yeah, I mean, that stuff doesn't happen, doesn't happen. And it happens, and of course, it's on film, so that's even better. Everybody I've ever worked with is gonna see that," Captain Glenn said of the crash during the reunion. "So, yeah, it's not fun."

The one good thing that came out of this incident is that it showed Captain Glenn just how skilled of a deck crew he had in Gary King , Sydney Zaruba , and Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux as they did an "exemplary" job of handling this emergency situation, according to the Parsifal III boss. "They were amazing. I mean, I don't see it 'til after because Gary and Sydney and JL, they're sorting out this problem at the back. I'm like 35 meters away trying to control what the boat's doing," Captain Glenn said. "Everybody did amazing."

The Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 reunion continues with Part 2 on Tuesday, June 22 at 9/8c.

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht

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On may 10's episode of below deck sailing yacht , bravo viewers watched as parsifal iii made contact with a docking wall...twice..

Dock drama.

On tonight, May 10's episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht , the drama that's been teased all season finally occurred. We're, of course, talking about the moment mega-yacht Parsifal III made contact with a docking wall . Yet, the new episode revealed that there were two  mishaps involving docking.

The initial accident, which occurred towards the latter half of the episode, certainly came out of nowhere. In the moments leading up to the problem, Captain Glenn Shephard noted to first mate Gary King that the wind was blowing 25 knots and advised his deckhand team to ease out one of the lines and place more fenders on the dock.

Although some fenders were already in place, deckhand Sydney Zaruba began to panic when she noticed the ship heading "really far to starboard." As Sydney called out to Gary, fellow deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux scrambled to grab more fenders.

"We might need to startup, Glenn," Gary radioed to the captain.

Despite Glenn racing to start up the ship, Parsifal III found itself making contact with the dock.

"We're rubbing on the dock, Glenn," the first mate told the captain. "We're rubbing on the dock."

The situation was certainly a dire one as Sydney was heard saying "f--king hell" while trying to place fenders. To make matters worse, the port anchor was dragging during all of this.

Captain Glenn then ordered his crew to disconnect the ship from the shore power and tried to kick ahead. "We need to get a generator online," the captain informed Gary. "I don't have any thrusters."

He then ordered everyone aboard to get as far away from the dock as possible. Not only was Sydney seen jumping onto the ship, but the crew also faced lines snapping off as they pulled away.

They weren't out of the woods just yet as they needed a generator turned on and chief engineer Colin Macrae was missing in action . Thankfully, Gary was able to turn on one of the generators.

Colin, who raced back to the ship in a tender, noted in a confessional, "If Gary didn't know how to start that generator, we wouldn't have been able to pick up the anchor, Glenn would have no steering and it would've been a totally different situation. I think Gary saved our ass."

After inspecting the stern, Glenn declared it "was a lot better than I was imagining." To the camera, Glenn noted there could've been "a lot more serious damage, like, a season ending kind of damage."

Unfortunately, this wasn't the only collision of the episode as, at a different dock, the ship faced a malfunction and full on collided with the wall. Yep, you read that correctly. "I'm f--king going ahead, but I've lost it," Captain Glenn said to himself as his crew shouted at him to slow down. "F--k me. God damn it. F--k."

The captain addressed the incident with E! News back in February, calling the situation "very serious."

"It's just something you want to avoid," he said at the time. "I've avoided it all my career and, of course, now with the cameras rolling it happens."

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Sheriff identifies young siblings killed by driver who crashed into party

Officials in southeastern Michigan have identified the 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother who were killed Saturday when a suspected drunk driver plowed through a child’s birthday party at a creekside boat club.

Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough in a statement Monday identified the children as Alanah Phillips, age 8, and Zayn Phillips, age 4. Diane Harrington, the victims’ aunt, said in a verified fundraiser for family funeral costs that the children’s mother and older brother remained hospitalized. Harrington declined to comment when reached by phone Sunday.

Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey A. Yorkey is expected to announced a final charging decision Tuesday against the 66-year-old driver. The woman, who has not been identified but was cooperating with police, was arrested at the scene Saturday after she slammed her SUV into the side of the Swan Boat Club about 3 p.m. and continued about 25 feet into the building before coming to a stop. The woman was taken into custody for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and causing death.

Among the nine people hospitalized, an 11-year-old boy and a 31-year-old woman remained in critical condition Monday, three teenagers were listed in serious condition, and five other people were treated for minor injuries, Goodnough’s office said.

“The scene was described by the first responders as ‘extremely chaotic,’ with [a] high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed the horrific incident,” Goodnough said during a Saturday news conference.

Gasps rippled through the room when Goodnough, in a trembling voice, said the two young party attendees pronounced dead at the scene were siblings.

Six adults and three children were rushed to the hospital by ambulance and helicopter with serious injuries after the crash at the boat club in Berlin Township, roughly 30 miles south of Detroit.

Video of the crash captured by doorbell camera shows a black SUV speeding through the boat club’s parking lot before crashing out of the frame and sending plumes of smoke and dust into the air.

Authorities said they were investigating a local tavern several miles away, where the suspect was believed to have been served before the fatal crash.

“We went in, we shut the business down, and we executed a search warrant into the business conducted that day,” Goodnough said.

The Swan Boat Club said in a Facebook post that it would remain closed Sunday and asked the community for prayers and support for the victims’ families.

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Booming Interest in Boating Leads to More Deaths and Accidents

The U.S. Coast Guard reported a 25 percent jump in boating fatalities last summer compared to the year before. Casualty numbers this summer are tracking to be even higher.

By Debra Kamin

David Beek knows the waterways in Newport Beach, Calif., better than anyone. His family has owned and operated the Balboa Island Ferry, a commuter boat for both cars and people, for more than 100 years. And from his perch on the ferry’s fuel dock, he can see everything that’s happening in Newport Harbor.

For the past 15 months, he said, “we saw a lot of stupid things.” Rental kayaks floating directly into the ferry lane. Small electric boats parking in the ferry slip. Even the slow-moving ferry swerving around oblivious paddle boarders. “A lot of these people don’t have experience,” Mr. Beek said. “They’re rookies.”

Recreational boating, a pastime highly amenable to social distancing, has boomed during the pandemic. New boat sales reached a 13-year high in 2020, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, while purchases of wake boats specifically — the vessels used for water skiing and wakesurfing — shot up 20 percent. GetMyBoat , an online boat rental marketplace, has seen business grow 700 percent in 2021.

But as boating interest has increased, so, too, have boating accidents.

There were 767 boating fatalities in the United States in 2020, an increase of more than 25 percent from 2019, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Total accidents increased 26 percent, and the number of nonfatal injured victims increased 25 percent. Statistics for 2021 have yet to be reported, but preliminary data from the Coast Guard show casualty numbers so far to be even higher.

In 77 percent of the fatal cases, according to the Coast Guard, the boat operator had not received any training.

“From July through August of 2020, it was the highest number of accidents for the 23 years that we have on record,” said Capt. Verne Gifford, who heads the Coast Guard’s boating safety division.

In some cases, the uptick has made heroes out of passing boaters.

Dr. Jeffrey Davis, an emergency medicine doctor in St. Louis, took a family vacation to San Diego in March, expecting to relax with his wife and three daughters. And he did relax — until the family went on a whale-watching expedition in San Diego Harbor, and their boat came across a small cruiser that had crashed into a wave. Three passengers were thrown into the water, and had been run over by their own boat after falling in. One of them had a catastrophic leg injury.

“When they lifted him up, his leg was almost completely severed at the knee,” Dr. Davis said. “It was a total disaster of an injury.”

While the whaling captain radioed harbor police, Dr. Davis jumped into the other boat, and used his own belt to make a tourniquet around the man’s leg. He kept him alive until they could be transported to shore, where an emergency management crew was waiting.

“It was a teachable moment for my daughters, about what doctors do and what bystanders are able to do,” he said. “But the trip was blown.”

In other instances, the Coast Guard has had to handle multiple crises in the same waterway at once.

Vanessa Rivers, a travel blogger and swimsuit designer based in Malibu, Calif., was sailing with two friends off the coast near Seattle in June when they spotted a broken-down powerboat. On board they found six flustered tourists; they had rented the boat, run over an unknown object and were now stalled. Even worse, a seventh person who had been inner-tubing off the back of the boat was now missing after his rope snapped.

The tourists had radioed the Coast Guard, but search-and-rescue teams were busy: A different boat nearby had called “mayday,” and was sinking.

The powerboat was stalled in the path of the Bainbridge Island Ferry, which crisscrosses between Seattle and Bainbridge Island several times a day. Ms. Rivers’s sail boat took off searching, found the inner-tuber more than a mile away and returned him to his friends before Coast Guard rescue teams could arrive.

“These people had no clue about safety, and they didn’t even know to be worried about the ferry,” Ms. Rivers said. “I think we were more scared than them.”

Rules for recreational boaters vary widely by state and age, with only one state, Alabama, requiring a boating license. Most others allow people at the helm after they complete a boating safety course either in the classroom or online. Whether you need to take the course also depends on your age — in California, only people 40 years old or younger are required to take the boating course. If required, renters usually complete a condensed version of the course to get a temporary boating education certificate.

Coast Guard officials wouldn’t disclose whether they’ve increased or relocated their search and rescue teams in response to the increase in accidents. But many other boating safety organizations said they had been stretched. BoatU.S ., the largest recreational boating association in the country, said that despite adding staff, in 2020, it was all hands on deck. BoatU.S. operates a towing and dispatch service, TowBoatU.S ., which saw a 20 percent increase in volume of requests for on-water assistance in 2020. Based on the number of calls so far in 2021, it forecasts that requests this year will increase a further 20 percent.

To manage the demand, the company bolstered its dispatch staff by 15 percent. Usage of BoatU.S.’s extensive library of online boating safety tools , where new boaters can get basic training, grew 70 percent. The spike in demand was so dramatic that even BoatU.S. Foundation’s president, Chris Edmonston, had to jump in and help.

“We had everybody, including me, doing phone customer service for people who were taking the course and might not be that computer savvy,” Mr. Edmonston said.

Finding staff wasn’t the only struggle. BoatU.S. added 30 towboats to its existing fleet of 600 over the past year, but with boat sales skyrocketing across the country, finding those boats — and the equipment to service them — wasn’t easy.

“Boats are difficult to come across, and our towers are having difficulty finding motors and even electronics,” said John Condon, BoatU.S.’s vice president for towing services. “Getting parts to maintain our own equipment has been a challenge.”

Calls to Sea Tow , an international on-water assistance fleet, were up 34 percent between Memorial Day and Labor Day in 2020, and the numbers have looked the same in 2021.

“Everybody was out with their families, whenever they could get on the water,” said Kristen Frohnhoefer, Sea Tow’s president, of boat activity last year. “Every day was Saturday.”

She stressed the need for education. “There is enough room on the water for everyone,” she said. “The concern of what we’re seeing is that not everyone understands the rules of the road.”

As novices call for help, some marine assistance companies have been forced to get creative.

The majority of emergency calls received in the past year by Safe/Sea, which offers marine assistance in Rhode Island, came from boaters facing dual challenges: They lacked experience on the water, and they were also operating older, secondhand equipment.

“You had kind of a perfect storm,” said Phil Le Blanc, Safe/Sea’s vice president for maritime operations. “You’ve got older boats that haven’t run in years, and you’ve got brand-new boaters, and you put them all together.”

When those older boats stalled and the new boaters called for help, Safe/Sea struggled to locate them.

“We’re talking to people now that are trying to give me directions based on the exit number of Route 95 that they’re off of,” he said. “I’m not used to having to find people with a road atlas.”

To cope, Safe/Sea distributed an old tourist poster to its staff that shows every lighthouse in Rhode Island. They instructed call dispatchers to use it as a reference point while trying to help boaters in distress describe their location. The company also started using specialty software that allows them to send a text message to stranded iPhone users, and receive a drop pin of their location in response.

“We’ve had to think a little outside the box compared to years past,” Mr. Le Blanc said.

In many waterfront cities, cooperation with police has increased, as well.

In Newport Beach earlier this month, Paul Blank, the harbormaster there, established a new protocol with the local police department to call for support if necessary. It’s the first time the harbor has coordinated with city police, and Mr. Blank said the agreement came in response to a small number of reckless boaters endangering others on the water.

“These are people who claim not to be new to boating although we strongly suspect they are new to boating,” Mr. Blank said.

Mr. Blank also added two new code enforcement officers, who patrol waterways and are authorized to issue citations and fines. Their priority, said Mr. Blank, is to ensure boaters understand the rules in the first place.

Mr. Le Blanc, of Safe/Sea, said that even a tiny bit of additional education would make a huge difference in the numbers of accidents and deaths on the water.

“Everyone in this business, whether it be first responders, police, fire, Coast Guard or environmental police on the water, really wishes that everyone got just a little bit more training before they get underway,” he said. “It’s not a big deal when they call you and they’re out of fuel and don’t know where they are. But when they’re sinking and on fire, it’s not a good thing.”

Concepción de León contributed reporting.

52 Places to Love in 2021

We asked readers to tell us about the spots that have delighted, inspired and comforted them in a dark year. Here, 52 of the more than 2,000 suggestions we received, to remind us that the world still awaits.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places list for 2021 .

An earlier version of this story misspelled the surname of the head of the Coast Guard’s boating safety division. He is Capt. Verne Gifford, not Capt. Verne Tifford.

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Sailors rescued after boat runs aground off Plymouth

PLYMOUTH − Firefighters and a neighbor helped two men and a woman back to shore after the sailboat they were on ran aground Wednesday morning off Plymouth.

The boat had left Boston on Tuesday and was bound for Florida, firefighters said.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the sailors issued a mayday call over the radio at 7:30 a.m., WCVB reported . They said their vessel was being pushed toward the rocks near 92 Center Hill Road.

Video showed the three sailors being helped off the sailboat and back to shore, where an ambulance was waiting.

Neighbor Michael Roy helped with the rescue.

"We were all grabbing wet suits or dry suits or whatever. It went like clockwork. Put them in the water, dragged them in, got them to EMS," said Roy.

In a statement, Plymouth Fire Chief Neil Foley said the three people were taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

Later in the morning, as the tide went out, the ship was seen tilting as the rocks protruded from the water.

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

Friends' sailing adventure ends in a dramatic rescue after a whale sinks their boat in the Pacific

What started as a sailing adventure for one man and three of his friends ended in a dramatic rescue after a giant whale sank his boat, leaving the group stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for hours and with a tale that might just be stranger than fiction.

Rick Rodriguez and his friends had been on what was meant to be a weekslong crossing to French Polynesia on his sailboat, Raindancer, when the crisis unfolded just over a week ago.

They had been enjoying some pizza for lunch when they heard a loud bang.

"It just happened in an instant. It was just a very violent impact with some crazy-sounding noises and the whole boat shook," Rodriguez told NBC's "TODAY" show in an interview that aired Wednesday.

"It sounded like something broke and we immediately looked to the side and we saw a really big whale bleeding,” he said.

The impact was so severe that the boat's propeller was ruptured and the fiberglass around it shattered, sending the vessel into the ocean.

As water began to rush into the boat, the group snapped into survival mode.

"There was just an incredible amount of water coming in, very fast," Rodriguez said.

Alana Litz, a member of the crew, described the ordeal as "surreal."

"Even when the boat was going down, I felt like it was just a scene out of a movie. Like everything was floating," she said.

Rodriguez and his friends acted fast, firing off mayday calls and text messages as they activated a life raft and dinghy.

He said he sent a text message to his brother Roger in Miami and to a friend, Tommy Joyce, who was sailing a "buddy boat" in the area as a safety measure.

“Tommy this is no joke," Rodriguez wrote in a text message. "We hit a whale and the ship went down."

"We are in the life raft," he texted his friend. "We need help *ASAP."

Raindancer sank within about 15 minutes, the group said. Their rescue took much longer that, with the four friends out on the open waters for roughly nine hours before they could be sure they would live to tell the tale.

Peruvian officials picked up the group's distress signal and the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted, with its District 11 in Alameda, California, being in charge of U.S. vessels in the Pacific.

Ultimately, it was another sailing vessel, the Rolling Stones, that came to the group's aid after Joyce shared the incident on a Facebook boat watch group.

Geoff Stone, captain of the Rolling Stones, said they were about 60 or 65 miles away when his crew members realized that their vessel was the closest boat.

After searching the waters, they were eventually able to locate the group of friends.

“We were shocked that we found them," Stone said.

The timing of the rescue, which unfolded at night, appeared to be critical as the Stones' crew members were able to see the light from the dinghy bobbing in the darkness.

Rodriguez lost his boat and the group of friends said they also lost their passports and many of their possessions, but they said they were just grateful to be alive.

The severity of the injuries sustained by the whale were not immediately clear.

Kate Wilson, a spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission, told The Washington Post, which first reported the story, that there have been about 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database launched in 2007.

Collisions causing significant damage are rare, the Coast Guard told the outlet. It noted that the last rescue attributed to impact from a whale was the sinking of a 40-foot J-Boat in 2009 off Baja California. The crew in that incident was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.

One member of Raindancer's sailing crew, Bianca Brateanu, said the more recent incident, however harrowing, left her feeling more confident in her survival skills.

“This experience made me realize how, you know how capable we are, and how, how skilled we are to manage and cope with situations like this,” she said.

In an Instagram post, Rodriguez said he would remember his boat "for the rest of my life."

"What’s left of my home, the pictures on the wall, belongings, pizza in the oven, cameras, journals, all of it, will forever be preserved by the sea," he said.

"As for me, I had a temporary mistrust in the ocean. But I’m quickly realizing I’m still the same person," Rodriguez wrote. “I often think about the whale who likely lost its life, but is hopefully ok. I'm not sure what my next move will be. But my attraction to the sea hasn’t been shaken."

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. 

Sam Brock is an NBC News correspondent.

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The biggest superyacht disasters in 2022

Related articles, superyacht directory.

From devastating fires to shocking sinkings, BOAT rounds up the worst superyacht disasters from 2022...

49m superyacht 007 runs aground in Greece

In the early hours September 3, the 49 metre yacht 007 struck rocks in a small bay on the island of Kythnos, in the Cyclades island chain in Greece. She quickly began taking on water and listed steeply on her port side, jutting out above the waterline around 15 metres from the beach. Pollution prevention measures were put in place within 24 hours, but the yacht remains in the same position as of December 2022, prompting complaints from local residents.

39m superyacht My Saga sinks in Italy

One of the most dramatic yacht disasters of 2022 came when 39 metre My Saga sunk in the Ionian Sea off the coast of southern Italy. She was being towed when the incident took place, after sending out a distress signal in the early hours of the morning to report that she was taking on water. It’s still not clear how the incident occurred, but a representative from a local marina told BOAT International that the seafloor in this region is too deep for the yacht be salvageable. You can watch the moment My Saga sunk below.

59m yacht Idol collides with bridge in Italy

A less dramatic incident saw the 58.9 metre motor yacht Idol collide with a bridge in Pisa, Italy. The bridge typically has an elevation of 11.8 metres above sea level during low tide, but according to eyewitness reports, the yacht attempted to pass during high tide. Minimal damage was sustained.

49m Eleonora E sinks in Spain following collision

In June, the 49 metre Eleonora E sunk after being hit by an offshore supply vessel while she was stationary in the marina. Footage shows the offshore vessel hitting the yacht squarely on its starboard side, after apparently running into mechanical difficulties. Eleonora E remained in the port for several months, before a three-week salvage operation raised her from the seafloor and hauled her away for repairs.

45 metre motor yacht Domani flounders off Washington Coast

Around 45 miles from the coast of Washington, the 45 metre Benetti yacht Domani ran into difficulty. The US Coast Guard reported the yacht’s crew had been unable to close the transom door, resulting in flooding of the beach club that left her disabled and floundering. Emergency services were quick to respond, and the yacht was towed to nearby Port Angeles for repairs.

Brand new 45m superyacht Aria SF goes up in flames in Ibiza

Fresh from delivery from Italian yard ISA, the 45 metre Aria SF caught fire in a busy anchorage in Formentera, Ibiza. Eyewitness accounts reported smoke originating from the area around her main saloon, and within minutes the yacht’s superstructure was engulfed in flames. She was towed away from other yachts to prevent damage, and sunk close to Cap Martinet, in Ibiza. Local news have been reporting on the ongoing efforts to remove the yacht’s hull from its current resting place.

Yacht damaged by Coast Guard in alleged drug smuggling operation

In July, shocking images showed the result of a clash between a 27 metre superyacht named Belgor and a Coast Guard patrol vessel in Turkey. The incident is alleged to be part of a drug smuggling operation, with the Coast Guard attempting to investigate reports indicating the presence of drugs on board the yacht in Muğla, close to Bodrum. The yacht then attempted to leave the waters of Turkey and the Coast Guard pursued, before finally opening fire and ramming the yacht.

25m motor yacht sinks off Chub Cay in the Bahamas

A 25 metre motor yacht, believed to be a popular Ferretti Yachts 830 model, was spotted submerged off the coast of Chub Cay in the Bahamas. The yacht reportedly hit a shallow reef and sank quickly, in an incident that bore some similarities to the sinking of another 25 metre motor yacht in April 2021.

Fire destroys 27m Sanlorenzo superyacht in Valencia

In April, a fire destroyed a 27 metre Sanlorenzo SX88 model named Pesa in the Port de Valencia, on Spain’s eastern coast. Six separate fire crews were called to tackle the blaze and it was eventually distinguished — however it’s understood the yacht is a total loss. After 12 hours of burning, the yacht sunk in the port.

Yacht damaged in fire at the Ferretti shipyard in Cattolica

At the start of the year, a fire at one of Ferretti Group’s Cattolica shipyard caused significant damage to a motor yacht under construction. No-one was injured thanks to the “immediate implementation of safety procedures” and the cause of the fire is subject to an investigation.

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Michigan woman charged in boat club crash that killed 2 children released on bond

A Michigan woman facing eight charges stemming from a crash that killed two children at a boat club was released Thursday on a $1.5 million bond, according to the jail and her attorney.

Marshella Chidester, 66, is accused of slamming an SUV into the Swan Boat Club, where a birthday party was taking place on Saturday about 30 minutes southwest of Detroit. Two children died and over a dozen others were injured, with several still hospitalized.

The Newport, Michigan, woman was released two days after she was arraigned in Monroe County District Court on the charges, which include two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of driving while intoxicated, causing death.

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Two siblings, 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and 4-year-old Zayn Phillips, were killed. Their mother, Mariah Dodds and her 11-year-old son survived, though he's facing serious injuries including broken legs and ribs and a fractured skull.

Chidester suffers from 'epileptic type seizures,' attourney says

Bill Colovos, Chidester's attorney, argued in court that his client suffers from "epileptic-type seizures" in her legs and that she only had one glass of wine the day of the crash.

Upon Chidester's release Thursday, Colovos emphasized that a medical issue caused the crash, adding that his client suffers from neuropathy, "blacked out" from a seizure and is "very remorseful."

"She feels absolutely horrible. To black out, then all of the sudden be told that two young children were killed. Colovos told the Detroit Free Press , part of the USA TODAY Network. "It's like a bad dream you wake up from."

Chidester started having the seizures in November and a doctor told her to stop driving for two months, but did not restrict her further, Colovos said in court earlier this week.

Alcohol breath test exceeded legal limit, prosecutor says

Monroe County prosecutor Jeffery Yorkey said in court that a preliminary alcohol breath test was "significantly over the legal limit" but did not specify what the results were. Colovos said he is still waiting on a medical report that would determine his client's blood-alcohol level around the time of the crash.

"Believe me, I'm waiting for it," Colovos said.

Yorkey asked for the $1.5 million cash bond, pointing to what he says is a history of "severe substance abuse."

Judge Christian Horkey agreed to the bond and set conditions upon her release: Chidester is prohibited from consuming alcohol or any illegal substances and is not allowed to drive. She must undergo substance abuse testing and monitoring, which includes wearing a tether, Horkey said.

Mother sues nearby restaurant Chidester visited

Dodds filed a lawsuit against Chidester and the restaurant that police say Chidester was drinking at earlier in the day of the crash. The business temporarily closed after the crash due to the police investigation.

The lawsuit accuses Chidester of gross negligence, alleging she drove into the north wall of the boat club fast enough to enter about 25 feet inside the building until her car stopped. 

The lawsuit also accuses the restaurant of selling Chidester alcohol while she was visibly intoxicated.

Angie Huffman, who said her mother owns the restaurant, confirmed in an email to the Free Press that Chidester visited the restaurant at 11 a.m., saying she had one glass of wine and a bowl of soup. Huffman said she's confident the police investigation will show the restaurant is "not at fault."

Family receives over $224,000 in donations

A  GoFundMe for the family was linked at the club's website and raised over $224,000 as of Thursday. The funds will go toward funeral and burial costs, as well as future medical and other incurred expenses as the family mourns.

In an update Tuesday, the page said funeral service arrangements are on hold until the parents "are in a more stable condition for such decisions and planning."

Contributing: Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan woman charged in boat club crash that killed 2 children released on bond

New video shows moment tour boats crashed near PortMiami, injuring 13 people

The video shows the boat moving through the water when a second boat comes from the side and crashes into it, by lorena inclán and nbc6 • published february 27, 2024 • updated on february 27, 2024 at 8:37 pm.

New video captured the moments two charter boats crashed near PortMiami earlier this month, in a collision that left 13 people injured.

The video was released late Monday by a personal injury law firm in Miami that told NBC6 they are planning a lawsuit against both companies involved.

The firm, Mausner Graham Injury Law , is representing several of the victims in the crash which sent at least two people to the hospital. Their goal is to receive compensation for some of the passengers involved.

A spokesperson for the firm also told NBC6 that the case highlights the need for wearing life jackets and using engine cut-off switches.

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The firm's clients were visiting Miami from New York when they decided to enjoy a day on the water so they hopped on a speedboat at Bayside.

The video is from a person who was on one of two tour boats on the water around Fisherman’s Channel back on February 11th.

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The video shows the boat moving through the water when a second boat comes from the side and crashes into it.

Officials with the U.S. Coast guard told NBC6 the collision involved the "Obelix” and the "Thriller,” which are both charter boats.

A USCG spokesperson said the “Obelix” was operating illegally.

The owner of that charter previously told NBC6 that no one on his boat was injured, but he didn’t want to comment further.

The person who took the video was on the "Thriller." The attorneys said their clients suffered fractured bones, one lost consciousness, and another suffered a traumatic brain injury.

"Both boats in this instance just were not safe, they failed to maintain a lookout, they failed to avoid a collision, they sped and you can see on this video that our client was lucky enough to take there was an extremely gruesome collision that had safety been followed it was utterly preventable," attorney Thomas Graham said.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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