Superyacht ‘Maltese Falcon’ steps in to provide humanitarian aid in the Mediterranean

By David Lazarevic 5 December 2019

The 88m/ 289ft sailing yacht ‘Maltese Falcon’ reports being involved in a mission to aid the passengers of a small boat off the coast of Greece.

In the early hours of the morning on October 27, the captain and crew of 'Maltese Falcon' were called to provide assistance to an overloaded boat off the coast of Athens.

After an unsuccessful transfer attempt in the open sea, the superyacht towed the boat to the shelter of a bay, where the passengers were able to safely step on board Maltese Falcon. The passage took around six hours.

Once aboard the yacht, the 56 passengers were then transported to the island of Kos under the direction of the local Coast Guard.

The boat was thought to be carrying refugees. It ran into trouble as a result of being heavily overloaded, and a strong swell and lack of captain caused a 'serious risk of sinking', according to the captain of Maltese Falcon.

The Maltese Falcon Captain reports "We towed their [..] sailboat from 5am‬ to approximately ‪11am‬ at only 2 knots, in big seas. The swinging mast on their sailboat prevented us from getting close safely. We made one transfer attempt, but seas and wind were deemed too dangerous due to the rolling. None had life jackets and one would assume most couldn't swim."

The superyacht towed the boat to the shelter of a bay, in a passage which took around six hours.

The transfer was made in a sheltered bay with the help of a local fishing boat, which stepped in to act as a stepping stone between the two vessels.

Her crew made swift work of the incident and managed to rescue every passenger, where they were “very quickly calmed once on board”

Shortly after passengers were transferred to safety, the crew recall seeing the group wave and cheer back “with smiles of thanks” towards Maltese Falcon.

The incident comes just months after a fleet of luxury yachts were among the first to bring aid to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. The 47m/155ft charter yacht LOON was one of the very first vessels on the scene, stocked up with emergency supplies to aid the local people.

Other charter yachts involved in past humanitarian and disaster relief efforts include 51m/167ft luxury yacht 'Dunia Baru' and the 54m/177ft superyacht 'Talisman Maiton'.

Upon the vessel moving away, the entire group unanimously waved and cheered back to us with smiles of thanks.

Maltese Falcon is a popular yacht charter platform and proven racer. She has won multiple awards, both for her exceptional design and impressive performance.

Her on-board features include an outdoor cinema, indoor/outdoor bar and massage room.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can help, you can consider donating to YachtAid Global. While this impromptu mission is not associated with the charity, YachtAid Global is a not-for-profit organisation which facilitates relief efforts in coastal communities with the assistance of superyachts.

To learn more about S/Y 'Maltese Falcon', please get in touch with your preferred yacht charter broker.