Walter Finch
A NUMBER of luxury yachts washed up on the shores of the Balearic Islands after an unseasonal late summer storm.
The Wally Love, a sleek 30.5-metre vessel valued at €4 million, was found washed up on the shores of Formentera after being battered by gale force winds and heavy seas.
Designed by Luca Bassani and constructed in 2007, the yacht’s carbon fibre structure and contemporary interiors made it a noted name in the superyacht world.
Despite recent upgrades – including new sails, a carbon fibre mast inspection, and tank cleanings, the Wally Love could not withstand the force of the storm.
The storm caused widespread damage across the islands, with numerous boats being swept away from their moorings.
One experienced ship engineer told the Olive Press the vessel ‘should have had 24 hour watch.’
“If they know there’s bad weather coming, they should have heightened watch with the engines ready to start at any time if things looked bad,” he said.
“There should also be an alarm bell attached to the anchor to alert the crew if it starts to move.”
For the smaller boats that washed up, he blamed it on a lack of experience from the owners.
“People don’t always know what they’re doing and they don’t put enough chain on the anchor.”
In addition to the Wally Love, other luxury yachts, including the Benetti Sea Belle and the Sanlorenzo Francamarina, were also damaged in the incident.
The storms and rain have been wreaking havoc in Mallorca during the height of the summer season.
Videos shared online show roads completely flooded with cars being carried away.
Another video appeared to show the floors of a hotel in Mallorca being completely flooded, with workers wading through the water.
Spain had issued a red weather alert for Mallorca on Thursday due to the severe storms and rainfall.
A so-called DANA weather front passed over the Balearic Islands after leaving storms and heavy rain in the north-east of the mainland earlier this week.
The red alert by Aemet is the highest warning level possible and means there is a serious risk to life.
Meanwhile the rest of the entire island was on orange-level alert for the same freak weather.
The entirety of Ibiza was also on an orange alert for storms and rain.
