One year to the day after watching the Royal Denship Unforgettable lose control in the channel at Lyford Cay, yacht crew in the Bahamas last month got to watch another megayacht try to come into the harbor in rough conditions.

According to the captains and crews of several yachts, M/Y Electra was the sole yacht on the water late in the afternoon of Jan. 14 with 30 to 40 knots of wind and 9- to 10-foot seas. Believed to be in excess of 100 feet, Electra missed the channel and ran onto the reef, witnesses reported.

At about 5:15 p.m., the captain of Electra (who is also believed to be the owner) declared that the yacht was taking on water and that the nine people aboard (five passengers and four crew) were going to evacuate. He requested assistance.

Capt. Erik H. Goodwin of M/Y Madcap said he and Mate Brian Warner borrowed an inflatable and traveled to the boat, pulling five people from the water as daylight dwindled.

They had previously picked up two people and another boat retrieved the final two, along with some personal belongings and electronic equipment. No one was injured.

"Engine failure in the channel was suggested as being responsible for the grounding," reported a crew member on the scene who asked not to be identified. "Cause of failure unknown."

The engine room reportedly held 2 feet of water soon after the accident, and the crew quarters and guest suites were completely submerged. The following day, the captain/owner told one of the assisting crew that the boat and everything inside was lost. The full moon brought higher-than-normal tides and the first deck went underwater over night.

A few days later, salvage workers off-loaded fuel. Goodwin reported seeing a fuel slick 100 feet wide heading north.

"The hull is damaged too much and is breaking in two," he said. "They are talking of bringing in a crane barge next week to lift the remains off."

The Triton went to press before more news could be acquired.

The 120-foot Unforgettable ran amok inside Lyford Cay Marina for about 20 minutes on Jan. 14, 2005, before finally ending up aground on the same side of the channel as Electra. It is still unclear what caused that grounding or what, if any, damage it caused the reef.

"I do not recommend going boating on this date next year," Goodwin said.

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