Sailing Yacht Legacy Sinks Again in Florida

The sailing yacht Legacy, which sank in Florida two decades ago and took years to salvage, has sunk again, farther up the coast in Fort Pierce. Salvage efforts are underway.

The 158-foot (48-meter) superyacht most recently sank on May 5, in an area commonly referred to as the turning basin. It sits where the Fort Pierce Inlet meets the Indian River. According to local residents, she had been anchored there, without her masts, since 2022 and deteriorating.

We contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for commentary but didn’t receive a response by press time. We also reached out to Linda Hudson, mayor of Fort Pierce, who referred us to Josh Revord, the St. Lucie County port director. In a statement, Revard says, “The County has had many conversations with FWC/USCG regarding the Legacy over the last two years. FWC had reviewed the vessel on multiple occasions and was unable to deem it derelict. The USCG was unwilling to move it because it was not impeding commerce. Ultimately, the owner maintained that no one had the right to evict him due to admiralty laws on the books.” Additionally, Revard says, FWC is trying to contact the owner, and he awaits an update from the agency.

Residents and other government officials have expressed concern privately about the yacht remaining in the basin. They further have expressed concern about a repeat of what occurred in the Florida Keys 20 years ago.

Specifically, for two and a half years, the yacht Legacy sat aground off Key West. In October 2005, the then-owner, Peter Halmos (top), was aboard with friends when Hurricane Wilma began bearing down. Without sufficient time to avoid it fully, they decided to ride out the storm. They chose an area near Key West where they had ridden out Hurricane Katrina two months prior. However, Legacy’s anchors gave way during Wilma. The storm tossed the yacht for miles, additionally snapping her masts. Eventually, it pushed her a mile into the Great White Heron National Sanctuary, a federally protected area, in about three feet (1 meter) of water. The force caused her to damage seagrass and become embedded in the sand.

A yearslong battle with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ensued. Though each party wanted her removed without more environmental harm, they disagreed on how best to do so. In February 2008, Legacy was finally freed, following a six-month effort. She departed the way she came in, after specialized equipment removed sand from beneath her and created a trench. Remarkably, despite the initial hurricane damage, which further gashed her hull and superstructure, the sailing superyacht’s hull was sound.

A salvage team towed her to Fleming Key in Florida, where Halmos had initial repairs made. In June 2010, under her own engine power, the yacht Legacy headed to the Bahamas for additional repairs. Afterwards, Halmost sent her to Stock Island Marina Village in Key West, still without her masts. For several years, she booked guests in her four staterooms and events like weddings onboard via Airbnb.

Her history becomes unclear yet again between 2017 and 2022, but at some point, she changed ownership. Residents of the Fort Pierce area say the current owner had the yacht Legacy towed to the region in June 2022, and she anchored in the basin. He hasn’t used her since, and new masts have never been stepped.

Efforts began on May 7 to raise the yacht from the seabed. We left messages for Linda Hudson, the Fort Pierce mayor, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to obtain further details. Neither replied by press time.