Stranded: Becoming a co-owner for 1 euro - a bargain?

The stranding

Since the Storm "Harry" On the night of 19 January 2026, the "Acoa" ran aground on the north-east coast of Mallorca near Capdepera, where bathers usually go for a stroll. Photos of the yacht sitting on its side in the sand quickly went viral.

The German skipper was apparently alone on board during the night of the storm. He had prepared two anchors and left the engine running, but a strong sea had built up. An anchor chain had snapped and the ship had been placed crossways in the surf. While trying to set another anchor, he found himself in a life-threatening situation without a lifejacket and had to abandon ship. He went overboard in the surf, injured himself and was rescued ashore suffering from hypothermia, according to the Mallorca Magazine reported.

The "Acoa" is a long-distance yacht made of aluminium, around 28 metres long, built by Dübbel & Jesse on Norderney in the mid-1980s. She has already sailed around the world eight times and travelled to the Antarctic.

Unclear ownership structure

Since the stranding, which occurred over a month ago, the owners' association has apparently been arguing about the salvage. A salvage offer for around 300,000 euros is said to have been submitted, including tugs and environmental measures such as an oil barrier.

This is because the yacht harbours potential environmental hazards. The maximum tank capacity is 5,000 litres, with around 500 litres of diesel on board. The authorities pressed for speed.

The difficulty is that the ownership structure is apparently unclear. It is allegedly a community of owners.

The 1-euro offer

According to several media outlets, the skipper has now signalled that he wants to give up his share for a symbolic amount of one euro, in other words: out of responsibility, out of the cost trap. It is unclear what co-ownership an interested party would acquire in return and whether they would automatically have to assume liability. The same applies to the market value of the yacht and whether it was insured.

The skipper spoke to Mallorca Magazin about high mooring costs and difficulties with planned work and bills. He also mentioned safety problems in harbours. As a result, he moored more often in bays until the storm "Harry" brutally punished this decision.

Bargain hunters should therefore take a very close look at this supposed "bargain".