HELISARA
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Wreck removal underway
The Consell Insular de Formentera has continued with the removal of the remains of the 'Helisara', after it was destroyed after a storm on the beach of ses Illetes, within the Natural Park of ses Salines. The action is now focused on the extraction of the larger pieces that remained in the terrestrial area of the coast. For this, the Environment Area has hired a specialized company with specific technical means for the lifting and transfer of large fragments from the sea. The maneuvers were carried out from a boat equipped for this work. Two of the most voluminous remains of the ship have been removed. However, the work has been temporarily interrupted due to bad weather, which has prevented the completion of the removal of a third piece planned at this stage. This operation complements the initial intervention carried out at the beginning of the month after the storm. Then, a team from the company Prezero removed the debris scattered on the sand and the sheet of water to prevent its return to the sea and its environmental impact. In total, 2,840 kilos of materials were recovered. After this phase the seabed will be inspected to eliminate the pieces still submerged that could cause damage to the ecosystems. The extracted wreckage was transferred to the port of La Savina and, by means of a crane truck, removed from the water. Subsequently, the company Ca Na Negreta carried out the classification, treatment and decontamination of the materials to ensure proper environmental management. The Consell had demanded from the beginning, that the owner of the yacht complied with its legal obligation to remove the wreck. In the absence of action by the owners, the administration has intervened in a subsidiary manner to prevent damage to one of the most fragile natural enclaves of Formentera. Report with photos: https://lavozdeibiza.com/en/current-news/the-wreck-that-does-not-end-work-continues-to-remove-the-helisara-from-ses-illetes/
Storm destroyed former Karajan race yacht
On Nov 7, 2025, a storm has destroyed the stranded 'Helisara' on Formentera. The historic racing yacht had got stuck on the rocks near Ses Illetes, on the north coast of Formentera off the Molí de Sal restaurant on Aug 14, 2024, when she ran aground in a violent storm, a so-called DANA, an isolated high-altitude depression, in which more than 20 yachts were swept from their moorings in Formentera and Ibiza waters. On Aug 8 the yacht had left Adrathe in the Almería province en route to Cartagena, before proceeding to the Baleares on its last voyage. The wind in Formentera, which destroyed the boat, had reached hurricane force, and waves of up to five meters were measured. Debris of the 'Helisara', which had been lying tilted in the shallows for over a year, has e been shattered and scattered along the coast, while a few fragments of hull were still floating among the seaweed and rocks of the Ses Salines Natural Park. The island government of Formentera, the Consell Insular, tried to trace the owner. In April, the Consell acknowledged its authority to remove the 'Helisara VI' and the 'Scipio 1924', also stranded since the same storm. Both were declared debris, and proceedings were initiated for their removal on a subsidiary basis, given the lack of response from the owners. However, the cost was estimated at around €400,000, resulting in the salvage being repeatedly postponed. Meanwhile, conservationists warned of the ecological damage: fuel residue, paint, and composite parts could harm the fragile Posidonia seaweed and the surrounding coral reef. Now the sea has done the work itself. The loss of the 'Helisara' marks the end of a piece of sailing history. Built by the Dutch shipyard Royal Huisman and active on international regatta circuits in the 1980s, the yacht symbolized an era of grand ocean racing and artisanal yacht building. She was once owned by the Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan and idled many years in St. Tropez after his death in 1989. Reports with photos and video: https://www.zeilen.nl/actueel/storm-maakt-definitief-einde-aan-gestrande-helisara-op-formentera https://segelreporter.com/panorama/strandung-auf-formentera-herbert-von-karajans-helisara-zerbricht-teure-konsequenz-von-untaetigkeit/ https://www.ibizalivereport.info/ibiza-presseschau/yacht-des-verstorbenen-dirigenten-von-karajan-in-naturschutzgebiet-gestrandet/ https://www.clubracer.be/historisch-racejacht-helisara-definitief-vernietigd-door-storm-op-formentera/51290/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ8f44selSY https://www.ibiza-heute.de/foto-des-tages-in-ibizaheute-55/ https://www.royalhuisman.com/en/herbert-von-karajan-and-helisara/
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