Overview

• Emergency crews extinguished the main fire by midnight after flames broke out Tuesday evening in the Sea Lady II’s forward hull and spread to lower decks
• Two crew members, aged 24 and 35, were rescued and treated for smoke inhalation and are now in stable condition
• Firefighters reported challenges boarding the yacht, cleared nearby vessels, and set up anti-pollution barriers over fears that the vessel might sink
• The 137-foot Sea Lady II, built in Cowes in 1986 and refitted in 2024, sails under a Maltese flag with eight crew and capacity for ten passengers
• Authorities have launched a formal investigation into the fire’s cause while the yacht’s owner remains unidentified