LOVEBUG

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NTSB Report found that door was left open prior to capsizing

On July 15, 2025, the NTSB has published its report into the sinking of the 'Lovebug' in Chesapeake Bay in pos.. 38°51.50’ N, 076°30.40’ W, on July 27, 2024, in 12 feet of water, with the four crew members - the captain,a deckhand, the chief, and a steward as well as one of the yacht’s owners having to be rescued from the water by TowBoatUS Annapolis. The report describes that the yacht left Annapolis Harbor around 11:30 a.m., bound for Shady Side. As it passed Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse going about 7-10 knots, the captain made rounds and found nothing amiss. By 12:35 p.m., when the yacht approached the West River Entrance Light 2, the captain noticed a starboard side list. He checked the steering, rudder indicators, and stabilizers on the bridge but didn’t find a problem. The list quickly increased,, and the Lovebug lost power. The speed dropped to about four knots and the captain ordered the deckhand to get ready to lower the anchor. Before the anchor could be dropped, however, the list had become so extreme that the captain ordered everyone to abandon the vessel. All people on board jumped into the water, after the captain made a distress call on VHF channel 16. From the time the yacht started listing to the time the crew jumped in the water, only four minutes elapsed. It came to rest with a list of about 45–50° and was grounded in the mud. The NTSB found that the 'Lovebug' was taking on water because of a door to the engine compartment being left open, resulting in the vessel losing stability. The watertight doorwas between the “toy garage” (which housed personal watercraft) and the engine room. An external garage door that allowed watercraft to be launched and retrieved was also partially open. Salvage divers discovered both doors open during diving operations as they worked to recover the yacht. The captain told investigators that he visually observed the external garage door was closed before the yacht got underway. When the yacht was raised and brought into drydock in New Jersey, the investigators found no sign of a hull breach or other place where water could have come in. Because the door’s lower edge was situated at the waterline and no other potential source of water ingress was identified, it was deemed likely that water entered the yacht via the partially open garage door. The report concluded that once the water level in the garage reached the open engine compartment door, water would have flooded into the engine room. This minor flooding could have caused a reduction of initial stability that could have gone unnoticed at first. Ultimately, though, the yacht would have become unstable. This resulted in a sudden list and further flooding, which led to the sinking. The incident caused an estimated $8 million in damage. The vessel was towed to the Yank Marine in Dorchester, New Jersey, on Sep 1 for surveys and overhaul works.

Salvaged yacht taken to Dorchester

The 'Lovebug' was successfully refloated and transited from roughly a half-mile off the shore between Beverly Beach and Curtis Point, Maryland, to Dorchester, New Jersey, on Aug 31. Local, state, and federal partners continued to monitor the operation during the yacht's transit, standing by to support if needed. The United States Coast Guard Sector Maryland-NCR and the Maryland Department of the Environment provided oversight of salvage efforts to ensure the safe operations while minimizing any environmental impacts from the 'Lovebug'. An oil boom was deployed around the vessel by a salvage company to mitigate any potential pollution while pollution responders from the U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland Department of the Environment were deployed to assess the situation. Partner agencies and the company hired to conduct the salvage coordinated throughout the four-week long salvage operation. Report with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3894752/partners-complete-removal-of-aground-yacht-off-maryland/

Towboat US to salvage capsized yacht

Aftre the 'Lovebug' capsized in the Chesapeake Bay, salvage crews were formulating a relocation plan, but an exact timeline has not yet been finalized. The vessel was still resting on its side near Edgewater's Beverly Beach and Shady Side's Curtis Point, where the West River and the Rhode River meet the Chesapeake Bay. The vessel was not blocking the channel so should not be a hazard to boaters entering the West River, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police told Patch stated on Aug 1. Tow Boat US had a vessel monitoring the scene, and NRP and Coast Guard patrol vessels have been actively monitoring the area. A small amount of oil leaked from the yacht and has since been contained. The salvors placed oil booms to protect the surrounding waterway from contamination. TowBoatUS was handling the salvage operation. Report with photo: https://patch.com/maryland/annearundel/overturned-7m-mega-yacht-salvage-plan-works-chesapeake-bay