I can’t decide what qualifies as worse: watching your brand-new luxury yacht sink the moment she sets sail for the first time, or going down with her. For one Istanbul-based millionaire, the nightmare came true when his 85-foot yacht, Dolce Vento, capsized and went under just 15 minutes into her maiden voyage off Turkey’s northern coast.
The mishap took place in the Eregli district of Zonguldak, after delivery was taken by an Istanbul-based millionaire. A viral video shows the nearly $1 million boat capsize and sink just moments after launch. What began as an exciting moment quickly turned worrisome as the vessel tipped to one side before nosediving into the sea, only 200 meters from shore.
At the time of the catastrophe, the owner was aboard. As much as he would’ve wanted to save his latest possession, he had little choice and had to jump ship along with the captain and two crew members. The yacht was over 24 meters long and a superyacht by definition, but nothing was super about what happened with the vessel completed at the Med Yilmaz Shipyard.
The only silver lining was that none of the four people aboard were hurt. The memory of sailing into the sea wasn’t completely tarnished, as all managed to swim ashore unharmed. While the reasons remain unknown, While the exact cause remains uncertain, experts cited by The Sun suggested that stability issues, often linked to errors in calculating a boat’s metacentric height, are among the most common reasons yachts capsize during launch. Early inclining tests and careful stability checks are critical in custom one-off builds, and this tragic debut underscores why. An official investigation will confirm whether this was indeed the culprit.
According to Turkish media outlets, the 85-footer Dolce Vento was commissioned by a company called Feyz Group. Dolce Vento translates to “sweet wind” or “pleasant breeze,” a poetic name at odds with her grim fate. Nothing about her launch was gentle or pleasant. Perhaps when she is raised, her owner will find a name better suited to survival, something that speaks less of ease and more of resilience.
