Yacht worth £10m capsizes while being launched for new owner (video)

A moment of celebration turned to horror for one boat owner when his brand new £10 million yacht capsized as it was being launched.

The 90ft expedition vessel, called Baden, was launched at the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, Washington, after being built for its owner who planned to circumnavigate the globe in it.

But it barely made it off the slipway before capsizing and crashing into the side of the marina.

There were six boat-builder personnel on board at the time of the incident, and five were helped ashore by onlookers, but one had to be rescued from the bilge at the bottom of the boat.

As it began to roll, several people went into the engine room to adjust ballast.

The yacht continued to roll, and the engine room began to flood. One man was trapped inside, and Anacortes officer and Navy veteran Scott Ray used an axe to chop out a porthole and rescue the man, reports Go Skagit.

The man was treated for minor cuts and scrapes from being pulled through the opening.

The boat had been under construction by Northern Marine for two years.

According to the Daily Mail, Wes Fridell of Northern Marine told KIRO-TV: "The boat tilted to one side, and although not unusual, the amount of tilt was a bit more than normal.

"So we paused to collect ourselves and assure that everything was going to be right, and then as we continued to lower it down, it pitched, and that's when it went over."

According to KOMO, Petty Officer Jordan Akiyama of the US Coast Guard said: "Two of the rescued people were taken to the hospital to be checked out."

A crew member who was on board at the time, Wade Benda, said he's not entirely sure what went wrong, but he thinks the boat's starboard stabiliser hit some rocks when it initially rolled near the boat ramp.

An incident management team is investigating the cause of the capsize.

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