03/15/07
Boat catches fire off Englewood; family survives
Six people made it to shore on the boat their yacht had been towing
VENICE -- Six people survived a fire on a 70-foot yacht Wednesday afternoon. The boat was two to three miles away from Manasota Beach.
Orlando residents Mark Stammel, his wife Sylvia, their 9-year-old twins Shawn and Keanu, and Sylvia's aunt and uncle, who were visiting from Germany, were taking the yacht from Longboat Key to South Seas Plantation in Fort Myers. At one point, Mark lost power to the engines and couldn't get into gear, he said. He realized that smoke was coming out of the engine room.
"So, I grabbed the kids, the wife and the guests," he said, "threw them in the water, swam to the fishing boat we were towing."
The family stayed in the area on the 21-foot fishing boat until they were escorted by emergency boats to the marina at Crow's Nest, near the South Jetty in Venice. The U.S. Coast Guard, Venice Fire Department, Venice Police Department and Charlotte County Sheriff's Office responded.
The family purchased the Azimuth at a boat show in Fort Lauderdale last December. Mark said it had just been overhauled and had a new fire system. He did not know what could have caused the fire.
"I usually have an answer for everything, but that one beats me," he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard has no vessels designed to fight fires and usually has to rely on local fire departments with fireboats, said Petty Officer Tasha Tully. The Englewood Fire Department sent its fireboat, but turned back because the yacht was too far away, said Charlotte County Fire and EMS spokeswoman Dee Hawkins. The fire was probably still raging when the Stammels landed on shore, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Lt. Rob Gerkin. Smoke was visible from the shore.
"There was 500 gallons of diesel on board, so it's fully involved," Gerkin said.
Stammel said his plan for the evening was to return home.
"We'll put the little boat into its place at Longboat Key Moorings and we'll get the car -- hopefully find a locksmith -- we'll get the car running and drive back to Orlando," he said, "put the kids into their beds in their home and have a good night."
-- Staff writer Christy Arnold contributed to this story.
You can e-mail Jeff Tavares at
jtavares@venicegondolier.com and Carolyn Quinn at
cquinn@sun-herald.com.
By JEFF TAVARES and CAROLYN QUINN
Staff Writers
70 Ft. Yacht catches fire and sinks off FL Gulf Coast 
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