Video: 130-Foot Yacht Goes Aground Off Woods Hole

Last Friday, a private yacht with passengers aboard went aground on an obstruction in the Woods Hole Passage, prompting a large-scale response.

The charter yacht Favor was under way near Penzance Point at about 0900 hours when its hull struck a protrusion on the bottom. It rapidly slowed and then turned to port, dock camera footage shared by Cape Cod News shows. The area is notorious for dangerous submerged rocks and strong currents; aerial footage obtained by Boston 25 news shows water from a strong tidal current pressing on Favor's starboard side and rippling past her bow and stern.

The vessel began taking on water through the hull penetration, and the master called for the evacuation of nonessential personnel. Seven passengers were rescued by the Coast Guard, and no injuries were reported.

With the assistance of a Towboat US response boat, the crew managed to control the flooding with pumps. The vessel was refloated successfully and towed off to a nearby yard for repairs.

Favor is a 39-meter Crescent Custom yacht built in Canada and delivered in 2000, according to BOAT International.

The Woods Hole Passage route is known as a navigational challenge, with submerged rock ledges and strong tidal currents. More than a few vessels have encountered difficulty, including the passenger ferry Pied Piper, which grounded near the ferry terminal with more than 100 people on board in July 2015.