Arcona 460 sinking prompts investigation by Arcona Yachts

Katy Stickland

The Swedish-flagged Arcona 460, IdaLina sank in the Pacific Ocean after the rudder stock failed, punching a hole in the yacht's hull

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An investigation is underway by Arcona Yachts after an Arcona 460 sank around 300 miles east of the Marquesas in the Pacific Ocean.

The rudder stock broke below the quadrant on the Swedish-flagged IdaLina, and punched a 15cm hole in the hull, causing the yacht to sink.

A video reportedly of the broken rudder stock has been posted on social media.

The two crew – Ingmar Ravudd and Katarina Bääth Ravudd – were uninjured in the incident, which took place on 8 April. They were rescued from their liferaft by the crew of Pacific Wind.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the couple by Niklas Ravudd, who wrote the following about the sinking of IdaLina:

“The rudder stock went completely off and my Dad and Tina struggled for two hours to stabilize it. They had to remove wires and autopilot to try and lower the rudder to plug the hole. But the rudder had damaged the lower part of the hull too much and a 6-inch (15 cm) hole was filling the boat with water quite fast. They tried to plug the hole with the equipment onboard but it was no use. Two bilge pumps worked hard too but it wasn’t enough. Water was already 8 inches (2 cm) in the saloon and they had to plan to abandon ship, they packed as much as they could and jumped into the life raft. They were lucky that the Swedish boat “Pacific Wind” was nearby and came to their rescue just before IdaLina went down in the Pacific. My dads always wanted to sail around the world, and now they are stuck in French Polynesia.”

In a statement, the CEO of Arcona Yachts, Fredrik Malmqvist, said, “At Arcona Yachts, safety is our priority, and we are therefore taking this very seriously.

“We understand from the Arcona 460 owners that the rudder stock was broken, however, we don’t yet know how or why. We are working closely with our suppliers and key people to immediately investigate this serious incident further.

“Our thoughts are with the owners, family and crew and we send our sincere thanks to the crew of the nearby vessels that assisted with the rescue. As soon as we know more, we will release further information,” added Malmqvist.

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The Arcona 460 was launched in 2004, and soon became Arcona Yachts’ flagship, thanks to its powerful, fast and very responsive performance on the water, and well-laid-out deck.

Construction-wise, a bolted-in galvanised steel frame takes the keel and rig loads. Hull stringers and bulkheads are laminated in place and the hull and decks are hand-laid GRP with polyester resin and a 20-30mm foam core, with solid laminate at strong points.

The keel is a cast iron fin encapsulated in GRP with a lead bulb bolted on. The aluminium rudder stock and web has a foam-filled GRP blade.

The layout down below gave options for coastal cruising, offshore sailing or racing.

Note: This article was updated on 16 April to include details of the GoFundMe page

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