A 66-year-old Spanish businessman is missing in the Ionian Sea off Pylos, Greece, after falling overboard while washing tuna blood from his vessel.
The man went overboard on August 18 during a sailing voyage from Sicily to the Peloponnese, according to details provided by his family. His son revealed that his mother recorded the precise geographic coordinates of the incident before the yacht drifted without power.
Speaking in an interview on the Mega television current affairs programme Live News, the son detailed the moments leading up to his father's disappearance. He stated that he had spoken with his parents on Sunday as they prepared to leave Syracuse, Italy, heading across the Ionian Sea towards Pylos.
On Monday morning at approximately 7:00 am, roughly 150 nautical miles out at sea, the father caught a tuna and cleaned it on deck. As he attempted to wash away the blood, he lost his footing and fell into the sea. The son explained that his father vanished from sight in less than 30 seconds.
Distress call and drifting vessel
His mother was overwhelmed by shock and did not know how to react in the emergency. The vessel was one the couple were not very familiar with, leaving her uncertain about how to respond.
She managed to record the exact coordinates of where her husband fell overboard and tried to transmit an SOS call using the onboard radio system. However, the son noted that the radio either malfunctioned or the proper emergency protocol was not successfully executed.
Because his mother lacked mechanical knowledge, she was unable to shut down the engine or operate the other machinery on board. The vessel continued running until it completely ran out of fuel. In an effort to slow down the boat as much as possible, she succeeded in raising one sail and lowering the other sail halfway.
Syracuse, located on the southeastern coast of Sicily in Italy, is a common departure point for sailors embarking on open-water crossings toward Greece. The route across the central Ionian Sea to Pylos spans approximately 300 nautical miles of open Mediterranean water, where sudden movements and deep sea conditions present serious navigation challenges for small leisure craft.
Coordinates provided to maritime rescuers
The recorded coordinates of the fall were subsequently reported to the Maritime Rescue Service. The son emphasised that his mother wrote down only those coordinates on the document, noting that she did not keep a personal diary or record her emotional feelings about the ordeal.
Addressing public speculation surrounding the incident, the son stressed that his mother was mentally sound and was not taking any prescription medication. He described his father as an extremely knowledgeable mariner with more than 35 years of sailing experience, whereas his mother had far less experience on the water.
Maritime search and rescue operations in Greek international and territorial waters are managed by specialized rescue centers alongside the Hellenic Coast Guard. When distress coordinates are received, rescue authorities coordinate with passing commercial shipping, naval vessels, and airborne assets to search designated sea grids.
An expert analysis published on the Greek news portal parapolitika.gr stated that the circumstances did not point to murder, assessing instead that the wife had acted while in a state of severe panic.
The family remains in deep anguish as rescue efforts and investigation into the disappearance continue. The 66-year-old businessman has not been seen since he fell into the water on August 18.
