Lauren Beck is the former editor of Dockwalk and was with the publication from 2006 to 2023. At 13, she left South Africa aboard a 34-foot sailing boat with her family and ended up in St. Maarten for six years. Before college, she worked as crew for a year, and then cut her journalistic teeth at Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal online. She loves traveling, reading, tennis, and rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
The 29-meter M/Y Reine d’Azur caught fire on August 11, 2021, around 4:30 a.m. while she was anchored west of Port-Cros. According to a press release issued by Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée, the Mediterranean Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS MED) was alerted soon after and coordinated rescue efforts.
The seven guests and three crewmembers on board were evacuated to safety and no casualties were reported. The fire also caused the yacht to drift and she was found near Ile du Levant — the vessel was towed to safety away from the coast and the fire was contained to the boat.
The fire was eventually controlled at 10:30 a.m. and extinguished at 1 p.m., but the yacht was almost completely destroyed with just its hull remaining, Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée reports. There was originally no sign of accidental pollution, but a floating boom was deployed to contain any leaks. The debris was also collected from the water to protect the environment.
On August 13, the boat began to sink around 7 a.m. at its location. As a preventative measure, the remaining hull had been left in a sheltered, sandy area as its buoyancy was uncertain. The prefecture reports that signs of diesel pollution were noticed, and addition controls have been implemented to stop the pollution from affecting Ile du Levant.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.