German skipper found dead on yacht off Azores

A German skipper was found dead aboard a sailing yacht off the coast of Flores Island in the Azores after a US crewmate reportedly spent at least three days at sea with the body before alerting authorities, reports Correio da Manhã.

The incident, which is now under investigation by the Maritime Police, has raised further questions after officers discovered around 300 grams of cocaine and several syringes inside the vessel.

The 40-year-old German national was found dead during the early hours of Friday. According to Portuguese media reports, the American crew member only contacted the skipper’s wife at around 3.17am to inform her that her husband had died onboard. She then alerted the authorities.

The Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Ponta Delgada received the alert and immediately activated a multi-agency response involving the Maritime Police, the Port Authority of Santa Cruz das Flores, volunteer firefighters, the Public Security Police (PSP), and the GNR’s Coastal and Border Control Unit.

When authorities reached the yacht, they found the German man deceased. The vessel also suffered from an engine failure and had to be towed by Maritime Police officers to the port of Lajes das Flores.

Investigators later discovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia onboard, leading authorities to examine whether drug use may have played a role in the skipper’s death. However, officials have not confirmed any link between the substances found and the fatality.

The body was transported by firefighters to a local healthcare facility after the death was formally certified by the health authority. An autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause of death.

The American crew member was reportedly questioned by judicial authorities on Saturday as part of the ongoing investigation.

In an earlier statement, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) said the circumstances surrounding the death remain unknown. The authority confirmed that the alert was received shortly after 3am and that multiple emergency services were deployed to the scene.

The case remains under the responsibility of the Local Command of the Maritime Police in Santa Cruz das Flores, which is continuing to investigate the events leading up to the death and the circumstances surrounding the yacht’s voyage.

No arrests have been announced and authorities have not released further details while inquiries continue.

Source: Correio da Manhã/Notícias ao Minuto

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident