Missing sailing yacht Luna found safe off Danish coast after overnight search

The crew of the sailing yacht Luna has been accounted for after the vessel was reported missing north of the Wadden Islands during the overnight hours of Thursday leading in to Friday. The crew contacted the Coastguard Centre in Den Helder on Friday, confirming that everyone was safe and that the yacht had encountered no problems. No injuries were reported, according to a Coastguard spokesperson.

The Coastguard launched an extensive search operation overnight after being unable to contact the yacht for several hours. Boats, a helicopter, and an aircraft were deployed to search the waters north of Terschelling, while ports across the Wadden Islands were also checked.

The Coastguard had called off the search earlier on Friday morning without finding the yacht, a spokesperson said at the time. It had nevertheless alerted ships operating in the North Sea, as well as the Danish and Norwegian coastguards, asking them to remain vigilant for the missing vessel.

According to the sailing plan known to the person who raised the alarm, the Luna was heading towards the German island group of Heligoland before continuing along the Danish coast towards Kristiansand in Norway.

The Luna was approximately 48 kilometers west of the Danish city of Esbjerg when its crew contacted the Coastguard. The yacht had been caught in the storm and lost one of its sails, but all those on board were unharmed.