Whoops - superyacht pays unexpected visit to surfing beach

by . on 1 Aug 2011 Whoops! As sailors, we're just glad it wasn't a sailing boat that paid this unexpected visit to a beach at Hvar in Croatia, one of the small country's hottest destinations.

Peak season was in full swing when the luxury motor yacht ran into the shallow waters of the beach, sending early morning swimmers scurrying, shocking beach walkers and amazing the hundreds of onlookers who soon arrived to see the extraordinary visitor to the busy beach.

...and what caused the unscheduled, somewhat embarrassing visit? The 40 metre Moon, owned by the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, had been operating on autopilot when it struck the tiny nearby islet of Pokojni Dol - which sports a lighthouse - while operating on autopilot.

As the collision with the island caused a large hole in the yacht's side, the quick-thinking ship's captain, who had been asleep at the time of the incident, decided to deliberately run the boat aground in the bay of the same name.

The authorities were alerted by one very surprised Ravlic Sime, the owner of the nearby restaurant Konoba Mustaco, and for the rest of the morning diners and swimmers were able to enjoy sharing the beach with the largest boat to ever enter the bay.

None of the five people on board, from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, were injured. In fact, they are probably going to be able to take home better dinner table stories than they ever imagined.

Rapid intervention of the Hvar port authorities, police, firefighters and Port Authority soon had the damage repaired in a few hours with the help of a tug boat bringing a type fast setting material, and the water pumped from the boat.

Then a little after noon the tugboat towed the unusual visitor away from the beach.