Two yachts sink in boatyard fire

Fire1

Three vessels were lost in a fire at Hinckley’s Portsmouth, R.I., facility on Monday, Sept. 15, 2015. Two boats sank and a sailboat belonging to the family of the late Ted Hood burned Monday morning in a fire that threatened numerous other yachts.

At 5 a.m., firefighters were called to The Hinckley Company’s Melville Marina District where a Tripp-designed, 60-foot ocean racer named Serengeti was on fire. Steady winds caused the fire to spread to a second vessel called Third Wish, a 34-foot powerboat. 

The fire eventually spread to a third vessel, Robin Too, a 38-foot fiberglass cruising sailboat owned by the family of the late Ted Hood. 

A vessel named Serengeti sank due to the fire.

Courtesy Providence Journal

The firefighters battled the fires for roughly 30 minutes but the fire burned to Serengeti’s waterline and the vessel sank. Third Wish, also made of fiberglass, sank due to fire damage to the hull. 

Firefighters from Newport, Naval Station Newport, Bristol, Tiverton and a firefighting boat from North Kingstown all took part in fighting the blaze. The State Fire Marshall is investigating the incident. 

Rosemary O’Brien, director of marketing for The Hinckley Company, said that no Hinckley employees were on the docks when the fire started and no one had been on board any of the vessels involved.

By Ocean Navigator