26 July 2017

Investigators looking into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shipwrecking of a Bavaria 50 Cruiser in Rimini have concluded that the two survivors were not responsible for what happened to the yacht.

Attorney General Paolo Giovagnoli from the Prosecutor’s Office of Rimini has stated that no liability has been assigned to 39-year-old Luca Nicolis and Carlo Calvelli, 69, according to Italian news station, TgVerona.

Attorney General Giovagnoli also stated that the investigation is now concluding.

The owner of the Bavaria, 66-year-old Alessandro Fabbri, his 38-year-old daughter, Alessia, Enrico Martinelli, 68, and Ernesto Salin, 64 all died in the incident on 18 April 2017.

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Calvelli has previously spoken to the media about the events surrounding the wrecking of the Dipiù.

The crew were on passage from Marina di Ravenna to Trapani in Sicily when they decided to put in to Rimini to make repairs and seek shelter from 40-knot north-easterly wind and rough seas.

The four victims. Credit: You Tube

Calvelli said the yacht lost propulsion just 70 yards from the harbour entrance. It rolled to one side just before the engine failed.

Dipiù grounded on the breakwater, lost its keel and capsized before the yacht was dismasted.

“The misfortune is that it [was] near the pier. Had this happened before, we would have time to raise a sail. Or continue towards Ancona. Had this happened a minute later, we would have been in,” Calvelli said of the incident.

Luca Nicolis later described it as “like being on a machine running downhill without the brakes”.

27 April 2017

The 50-foot yacht, Dipiù has been removed from the breakwater of Rimini harbour in Italy.

The wreck of the Bavaria 50 Cruiser will be a key piece of evidence during the prosecutor’s investigation into the incident, which left four people dead and two others injured.

Meanwhile, the funerals of two of the victims have been held.

The lives of the boat’s owner, 66-year-old Alessandro Fabbri,and  his 38-year-old daughter, Alessia were remembered in a service at the San Bernardino church in Verona.

Two others also died in the incident on 18 April – Enrico Martinelli, 68, and Ernesto Salin, 64.

The wrecked yacht. Credit: You Tube

The two remaining crew – 39-year-old Luca Nicolis, who was the boyfriend of Alessia Fabbri, and Carlo Calvelli, 69 – survived.

Speaking to the Italian newspaper, Il Resto del Carlino, Calvelli said that the Dipiù lost propulsion just 70 yards from the harbour entrance.

He said the yacht rolled to one side just before the engine failed; the crew tried to restart it but could not.

“The misfortune is that it [was] near the pier. Had this happened before, we would have time to raise a sail. Or continue towards Ancona. Had this happened a minute later, we would have been in,” he told the newspaper.

The incident resulted in Dipiù grounding on the breakwater, losing its keel and capsizing before the yacht was dismasted.

The crew were on passage from Marina di Ravenna to Trapani in Sicily when a decision was made to stop at Rimini to make repairs.

At the time, winds were gusting up to 40 knots and there were rough seas.

21 April 2017

Four people have died and another two are injured after a Bavaria yacht was wrecked on the breakwater of Rimini harbour in stormy weather.

The Bavaria 50 Cruiser, called Dipiù, was on passage from Marina di Ravenna to Trapani in Sicily, when the crew decided to head for Rimini to make repairs.

According to media reports, the Dipiù suffered engine difficulties and hit the breakwater at the entrance to Rimini harbour before the crew had time to raise the sails.

The yacht grounded on the breakwater, lost its keel, and then capsized and dismasted on the afternoon of 18 April.

A helicopter searches for survivors. Credit: You Tube

At the time, there was a 40-knot north-easterly wind and rough seas.

The emergency services, including the Coast Guard and local fire department, were contacted by members of the public.

Two helicopters were deployed to search for survivors.

There are reports that some of the crew jumped into the sea in order to try and make it to shore.

The four victims have been named as the 66-year-old owner of the boat, Alessandro Fabbri, his 38-year-old daughter Alessia, Enrico Martinelli, 68, and Ernesto Salin, 64.

The two remaining crew – 39-year-old Luca Nicolis and Carlo Calvelli, 69 – survived the shipwreck.

Both were recovered by the Italian Coast Guard and taken to hospital for treatment.

The Rimini prosecutor has now opened a case in order to find out what caused the accident.