Photo: Northrop & Johnson
Sometimes acting as rescuers for others in need, luxury yachts can also be victims of accidents themselves. This time, things weren’t that bad and, fortunately, nobody was injured. Even those who witnessed the whole thing seemed to take it more like a simple ship steering mistake.
St Maarten in the Caribbean is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world, and gorgeous superyachts are a regular sight at the Simpson Bay Lagoon. A lifting bridge opens the door to this beautiful Lagoon, on the St Maarten side (a second bridge, which is a swing one, provides access to the Lagoon’s French side).
The lifting bridge is officially called the John Sainsborough Lejuez Bridge, but it’s mostly known as the Simpson Bay Bridge. The speed limit for vessels is five mph (8 kph). But this bridge has already been linked to yacht-related incidents more than once.
Back in 2019, a massive 86-meter (282 feet) superyacht named Ecstasea hit the bridge’s control booth so badly that it basically destroyed it. A similar incident occurred recently, although luckily it was of a smaller magnitude.
Another luxury yacht bumped into the bridge’s control booth, but did not crash into it. Recently-released footage shows the Baca hitting it while making its way through the bridge entry. It happened last Sunday, with folks on the shore capturing the entire thing on video. At the beginning of this week, the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SLAC) who manages the bridge confirmed that the bridge is back to its regular schedule, although there was some damage to the wiring.
It’s still unclear what was the exact cause of the incident, or how badly the booth was impacted. Even though the local media speculated that the particularly windy weather at that time might have been the culprit, it’s still hard to ignore that this amounts to two yachting incidents in three years, in the same spot.
Although the control booth was damaged yet again, no person was injured, and the Baca made it safely to the Lagoon. There is no information available on the number of passengers onboard at the time, although the Baca was most likely on one of its charter trips in the Caribbean.
A 2009 built from the Royal Denship, the 43-meter (142 feet) luxury yacht now operates as a charter pleasure craft with weekly rates starting at $175,000. Prior to this, it was used only privately, which is why it claims to be in excellent shape, also thanks to regular maintenance services.
Large enough to accommodate 11 guests and a nine-people crew, the Baca includes luxurious amenities such as a lavish master suite with a marble en-suite bathroom, and a generous sundeck, dominated by a large jacuzzi.
The lifting bridge is officially called the John Sainsborough Lejuez Bridge, but it’s mostly known as the Simpson Bay Bridge. The speed limit for vessels is five mph (8 kph). But this bridge has already been linked to yacht-related incidents more than once.
Back in 2019, a massive 86-meter (282 feet) superyacht named Ecstasea hit the bridge’s control booth so badly that it basically destroyed it. A similar incident occurred recently, although luckily it was of a smaller magnitude.
Another luxury yacht bumped into the bridge’s control booth, but did not crash into it. Recently-released footage shows the Baca hitting it while making its way through the bridge entry. It happened last Sunday, with folks on the shore capturing the entire thing on video. At the beginning of this week, the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SLAC) who manages the bridge confirmed that the bridge is back to its regular schedule, although there was some damage to the wiring.
It’s still unclear what was the exact cause of the incident, or how badly the booth was impacted. Even though the local media speculated that the particularly windy weather at that time might have been the culprit, it’s still hard to ignore that this amounts to two yachting incidents in three years, in the same spot.
Although the control booth was damaged yet again, no person was injured, and the Baca made it safely to the Lagoon. There is no information available on the number of passengers onboard at the time, although the Baca was most likely on one of its charter trips in the Caribbean.
A 2009 built from the Royal Denship, the 43-meter (142 feet) luxury yacht now operates as a charter pleasure craft with weekly rates starting at $175,000. Prior to this, it was used only privately, which is why it claims to be in excellent shape, also thanks to regular maintenance services.
Large enough to accommodate 11 guests and a nine-people crew, the Baca includes luxurious amenities such as a lavish master suite with a marble en-suite bathroom, and a generous sundeck, dominated by a large jacuzzi.
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