Adventure or despair? Homeless steal yacht on Mallorca!

Adventure or despair? Homeless steal yacht on Mallorca!

Can Pastilla, Spanien - On April 22, 2025, an incident caused a sensation in Mallorca. Two homeless people aged 53 and 59 stolen a twelve -meter -long sailing yacht in the port of San Antonio de la Playa. This campaign took place on Easter Sunday and was later reported as theft. As the Latest news , the men broke into the boat and set sail with the yacht.

The Situation escalated when the two who started their plan from Palma Airport lost their orientation. After they were found 25 kilometers south near Cabrera, they finally put an emergency call. The water protection police saved the men who had no resistance and then arrested them.

the escape and its circumstances

The Guardia Civil confirmed that one of the men had previously had experience in shipping and persuaded his companion to hire the yacht. At first they drove out to sea and consumed all supplies on board. But the adventure took a dramatic turn: the more experienced man lost awareness due to high alcohol consumption, while his companion, without any boat skills, was panicked. Despite the difficulties of communicating his position, the panic finally managed to achieve the sea rescue. He followed the civil servants' advice and threw the emergency radio into the water to determine his position, although he knew that this could result in legal consequences. The sea rescue threw a speedboat to help the unfortunate captains while a tractor took over the stolen yacht.

The questions that arise after this incident are numerous. Was this a desperate attempt to escape from the precarious life situation? In Mallorca, as the Mallorca Zeitung shows a massive housing shortage. High rental prices, illegal holiday rentals and a lack of affordable living space drive many people into homelessness. The reality looks so that some homeless people spend the night in the entrance area of ​​the airport, despite the operator's attempts to drive them out.

The apartment crisis as a basic problem

An example of the current housing shortage is the fate of Alba Mazón Sánchez, a 28-year-old woman from Sóller who has difficulty finding an affordable apartment. Despite a university degree and a job in the hotel and restaurant industry, she is faced with the challenge of not getting your expiring rental agreement extended. The rental prices in Sóller are between 1,600 and 1,700 euros, which is unaffordable for them. She currently pays 500 euros for a small, old apartment, but the uncertainty about her living situation puts her in great fear of homelessness.

The causes of the crisis are diverse: the tourist rental and purchases by wealthy foreigners press the prices up. In addition, there are no social housing in Sóller, and planned projects are uncertain. Many, including Mazón, see the problem as not sufficiently discussed and demand more attention and measures from politics.

The incident of the two homeless people who dared a desperate adventure in a stolen yacht urgently illuminates the deep social problems that Mallorca plagues. The struggle for living space and the associated difficulties seem to be not only individual tragedies, but also a symptom of a greater social displeasure.