US crewmate arrested after German skipper found dead on yacht off Azores

A US national travelling aboard a yacht with a German skipper who died off the Azores has been arrested as Portuguese authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

The 40-year-old German man was found dead aboard the sailing vessel off the island of Flores in the western Azores archipelago in the early hours of Friday, June 12. The yacht’s American crewmate, who was travelling with him, was detained by the Judicial Police (PJ) on Saturday after being questioned by investigators, according to reports by RTP Açores.

The cause of death has not yet been established and authorities are awaiting the arrival of forensic experts on Flores to carry out an autopsy.

According to RTP Açores, a small quantity of cocaine was found on board the yacht during searches conducted by investigators. Correio da Manhã reported that authorities also discovered several syringes and approximately 300 grams of cocaine, suggesting possible hard drug use on board.

The same report alleges that the American crewmate spent at least three days at sea with the skipper’s body before the alarm was raised.

Official information released so far indicates that the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Ponta Delgada received an alert at 3.17am on Friday. According to Portuguese media reports, the alert was triggered after the German skipper’s wife contacted authorities, having allegedly been informed of her husband’s death by the American crewmate shortly beforehand.

The vessel was sailing off Flores when emergency services were mobilised. Personnel from the Maritime Police, the Port Authority of Santa Cruz das Flores, the Santa Cruz das Flores Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Coastal and Border Control Unit of the National Republican Guard (GNR) responded to the incident.

Upon arrival, Maritime Police officers towed the yacht to the port of Lajes das Flores after discovering it had suffered an engine failure. The local health authority formally confirmed the death at the scene, before the body was transferred to a local healthcare unit under instructions from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The PJ has now taken over the investigation and has yet to disclose the grounds for the arrest or whether any charges have been filed.

Officials have not commented on whether the drugs found on board were linked to the skipper’s death.

The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities say further details are expected once the autopsy results become available.

Source: RTP Açores/Correio da Manhã

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident