A British yacht owner died and his wife and daughter were seriously injured when their 70-foot yacht crashed into some rocks on a small island off Sardinia, Italy, on Saturday night. Dean Kronsbein, 61, was thrown off the deck of his yacht by the impact of the crash. He was pulled out of the water alive, but died of a heart attack on his way back to shore.
His wife, Sabine, 59, and daughter, Sophia, 27, were also seriously injured. Sabine told investigators that the yacht’s captain had to swerve suddenly when another boat headed for them as speed. The Italian authorities are investigating.
The Italian Coast Guard said it received a Mayday call from the yacht, the Amore, about 8:40 p.m. Sunday. The Amore captain said the boat was taking on water after hitting the rocks. Two Coast Guard boats and several nearby pleasure boats responded.
A passing boat from Malta took Kronsbein on board but he died before it got back to shore. Six other people were injured.
The Coast Guard towed the Amore back to Porto Cervo, a luxury resort area with a large marina on the northeast coast of Sardinia (see picture at top). The bow of the yacht was almost torn off. The Amore is registered in the Italian port of Monfalcone near Trieste. Read more:
