{"id":5073,"date":"2018-07-12T12:11:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T11:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/?p=5073"},"modified":"2026-01-19T10:57:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T10:57:06","slug":"ss-varvassi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/ss-varvassi\/","title":{"rendered":"SS Varvassi"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>SS Varvassi \u2013 The Wreck off the Needles<\/h1>\n<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> was a 3,874\u2011ton Greek merchant steamship that became infamous after running aground off the Needles Lighthouse, Isle of Wight, on <strong>5 January 1947<\/strong>.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>The Final Voyage of the SS Varvassi<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> was travelling from <strong>Algiers to Southampton<\/strong> carrying a mixed cargo. On board were:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>600 tons of iron ore<\/li>\n<li>200 tons of tangerines<\/li>\n<li>438 barrels of wine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While approaching the Needles, she suffered <strong>engine failure<\/strong> and began to drift helplessly. With strong tides setting her towards the rocks, the ship was carried onto the Needles reef, where she became firmly stuck.<\/p>\n<h2>Yarmouth Lifeboat Rescue<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Yarmouth Lifeboat<\/strong> launched several times to assist the stricken vessel. Initially, however, the ship\u2019s captain sent them away, hoping that the <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> could still be saved.<\/p>\n<p>Attempts were made to refloat her, but persistent <strong>south\u2011westerly winds<\/strong> and powerful tides worked against these efforts. Eventually, with waves breaking over the deck and the situation deteriorating, the captain made the decision to abandon ship.<\/p>\n<p>All crew members were successfully rescued by the <strong>Yarmouth Lifeboat<\/strong>, with no loss of life.<\/p>\n<h2>Cargo Salvage and Declared a Wreck<\/h2>\n<p>Over the following weeks, efforts were made to recover the cargo, but conditions made salvage extremely difficult. The <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> was officially declared a wreck on <strong>21 January 1947<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>She was broken up as much as possible using the techniques available at the time, although this was hampered by bad weather and strong tides. Much of the cargo was lost:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Iron ore spilled across the seabed<\/li>\n<li>Tangerines were seen floating in the water for weeks<\/li>\n<li>And as for the wine\u2026 one can only imagine what became of that!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To this day, parts of the <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> remain beneath the water. On very low tides, close to chart datum, the <strong>boilers can still be seen breaking the surface<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"5074\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/ss-varvassi\/boilers\/#main\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?fit=251%2C335&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"251,335\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"boilers\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?fit=251%2C335&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-5074 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?resize=251%2C335&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"ss varvassi\" width=\"251\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?w=251&amp;ssl=1 251w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?resize=100%2C133&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/boilers.jpg?resize=200%2C267&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>SS Varvassi on Admiralty Charts<\/h2>\n<p>The wreck of the <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> is clearly marked on nautical charts to warn passing ships and yachts of her location. Despite this, she still manages to catch out the occasional unwitting sailor.<\/p>\n<p>This is particularly relevant during the <strong>Round the Island Yacht Race<\/strong>, an annual event that attracts around <strong>1,200\u20131,800 yachts<\/strong>. The race involves a full circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, starting at Cowes, heading west to the Needles, south to St Catherine\u2019s Point, then north up the eastern side of the island and back to Cowes.<\/p>\n<h2>The Sinking of <em>Alchemist<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>In <strong>2016<\/strong>, Mark Wynter, Commodore of the Island Sailing Club (which organises the race), lent his beautiful <strong>1977 wooden Half Tonner <\/strong><em><strong>Alchemist<\/strong><\/em> to friend and helmsman Andrew Talbot for the event. Mark himself was unable to compete that year due to official race duties.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, history repeated itself.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alchemist<\/em> struck the submerged boilers of the <strong>SS Varvassi<\/strong> and immediately began taking on water. The <strong>Mudeford Lifeboat<\/strong> arrived quickly and made a valiant attempt to tow the \u00a330,000 yacht clear of the wreck.<\/p>\n<p>However, <em>Alchemist<\/em> began to sink rapidly and the tow was abandoned. Both crew members were safely rescued. Rumour has it that Mark Wynter first learned of the sinking via <strong>Twitter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Footage taken by one of the RNLI crew captures the dramatic rescue.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"5076\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/ss-varvassi\/coastguard\/#main\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?fit=481%2C152&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"481,152\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"coastguard\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?fit=481%2C152&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5076 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=481%2C152&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"ss varvassi\" width=\"481\" height=\"152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?w=481&amp;ssl=1 481w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=300%2C95&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=100%2C32&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=150%2C47&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=200%2C63&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard.png?resize=450%2C142&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And another to highlight the location:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"5075\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/ss-varvassi\/coastguard1\/#main\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?fit=478%2C217&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"478,217\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"coastguard1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?fit=478%2C217&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5075 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=478%2C217&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"ss varvassi\" width=\"478\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?w=478&amp;ssl=1 478w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=300%2C136&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=100%2C45&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=150%2C68&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=200%2C91&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lovesail.com\/ls-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/coastguard1.png?resize=450%2C204&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Sailing Community<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovesail.com\/\">Lovesail.com<\/a>\u00a0is an online dating and social networking site for single sailing enthusiasts.<br \/>\nSolo and single-handed sailing women and men meet up for sailing and dating, to make friends, and to find crewing opportunities.\u00a0 Join our friendly sailing community now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SS Varvassi \u2013 The Wreck off the Needles Introduction The SS Varvassi was a 3,874\u2011ton Greek merchant steamship that became infamous after running aground off the Needles Lighthouse, Isle of Wight, on 5 January 1947.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6479],"tags":[5713,5714,79,495,1024,1025,1026,945],"class_list":["post-5073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discover","tag-alchemist","tag-goose-rock","tag-isle-of-wight","tag-round-the-island-race","tag-ss-varvassi","tag-steamship","tag-the-needles","tag-wreck"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SS Varvassi - The Infamous Wreck off the 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