A trip to the Alacranes Reef aboard the 54-foot-long yacht On The Sly, which began at dawn this Tuesday in the Gran Marina, Yucalpetén, was about to end in tragedy at dawn when the boat capsized with 12 people aboard.
The crew lived 60 minutes of anguish and despair in the middle of the immensity of the sea with their life jackets while the yacht foundered and sank.
The shipwreck occurred between 5 and 6 in the morning between Progreso and Alacranes, 30 miles north of Progreso and 35 miles south of Isla Pérez, part of the reef.
The accident happened in the middle of the summer holidays. Halfway through the voyage, in deep waters and the navigation area of fishing vessels and merchant marine ships.
The news of the shipwreck mobilized the Mexican Navy through the XIII Naval Zone, which sent a Defender Type fast boat to rescue the crew members.
The solidarity of the Yucalpetén marinas was present, which spread the word so that the recreational and fishing boats that were along the route could mobilize to support the shipwrecked people.
Mario Esquivel Ríos, president of the Association of Marinas and Nautical Services of Yucatán, requested the support of recreational vessels and others on the high seas. He provided the coordinates and was aware of the rescue operations.
Esquivel Ríos explained that, according to the information collected, the cause of the shipwreck was a leak in the hull of the yacht when it was in the middle of the voyage and was at a distance of 30 miles north of Progreso, where a Mexican Navy ship rescued the 12 crew members.
The yacht set sail after midnight from Yucalpetén bound for Alacranes, where they did not arrive because the ship leaked and the shipwrecked.
Before it went down, the crew put on their life jackets, and the captain requested help by radio and gave his location to facilitate the rescue.
The yacht On The Sly is the property of María Julieta López Semerena from Mérida. It is a pleasure craft about 20 years old.
TYT Newsroom
