Good news for everyone competing in the annual Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, to be held in Porto Cervo on the Italian island of Sardinia, this month.

The reigning champion superyacht, ‘My Song’, was almost lost at sea.

My Song, a 40-metre Baltic 130 Custom sailing yacht, is owned by the fashion heir Pier Luigi Loro Piana.

It was on a cargo ship being transported between the Spanish island of Mallorca and the Italian city of Genoa when it slipped off into the ocean, reports CNN.

The yacht was the holder of several awards and titles, including Best Yacht at the World Superyacht Awards, and also set a speed record during last year’s RORC Transatlantic Race.

At first, the boat was feared lost, but now the company in charge of the shipping spent days attempting to salvage the yacht.

…an investigation into the cause of the incident has been launched, and added that an initial assessment had concluded that the yacht’s cradle “collapsed” during the voyage, causing the loss of the boat overboard. The cradle was owned and provided by the yacht and assembled by its own crew, he added.

Someone is definitely getting fired.

The yacht was equipped with high-performance technical features such as interchangeable mainsails for cruising or racing and a retractable propulsion system that could double as a stern thruster.

My Song was able to accommodate up to eight people, and design features included a “spectacular deck saloon with hull and superstructure ports” and “skylights providing panoramic outboard views.”

The yacht has since been located, and salvagers are now working to prepare for a tow. It’s unlikely that she’ll ever be the same, and will not be defending her title.

It’s a sad day for yachts.

I reckon Pier Luigi Loro Piana will also be on the lookout for a new shipping company. Buddy, look no further than Berry & Donaldson.

They’ve been in the business for over half a century.

Think of them as your own personal logistics department. They’ll take care of route optimisation, currency cover, tariff determination, customs regulations, packaging requirements, marine insurance and everything else that goes into getting your cargo from point A to point B safely and securely.

That includes superyachts, whether or not they’ve won competitions.

Pop past their website to find out more about the range of services they offer.

[source:cnn]