We now have new photos and details about the $1 million, 80-foot Sunseeker Predator that sank three miles off St. Augustine Beach, Florida, on Memorial Day weekend.
The St. John’s County Fire and Rescue has a picture that shows the bow of the sinking yacht with a gaping hole. It also has a picture of a rusted box-like metal structure, an offshore drain pipe marker, with what appears to be a piece of white fiberglass wedged in a rubber strip. The top edge of the marker also has a large scrape, and the sign on top has been pushed back. The sign clearly says “Danger, Submerged Pipeline (shallow water).”
The Sunseeker, a 1999 model named Atlantis, issued a distress call on channel 16 at 11:37 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, with the captain saying the boat hit something and was taking on water. The weather was clear, the water was calm. The Coast Guard, the St. John’s County Fire and Rescue, and good Samaritan boats all rushed to help.
The St. John’s crew arrived first and rescued the two people on board as the Sunseeker was sinking. It took one person to the Vilano Boat Ramp for transportation to a nearby hospital with “minor injuries.”
The Sunseeker was powered by two Cat diesels and had a top speed of 44 knots. The St. John’s unit said the yacht hit the drain pipe. The Coast Guard issued an alert about the wreck being a hazard to navigation. The owner will arrange salvage.
