A yacht started to sink ‘like the Titanic’ after ‘pirates’ rammed into it – until a hero Brit’s quick-thinking saved all lives in a movie-style rescue
The tragic story of the Titanic has long stayed in people's minds, but little did movie set builder Christian Powys-Keck know that he would be in a similar situation, rescuing all the passengers from a possible tragedy. The 33-year-old British man was among the 20 other passengers and crew on their yacht, The Alessandra, when it sank off the Colombian coast. However, the brave young man hopped onto a rescue mission and is now hailed as a hero for his movie-style rescue, as reported by The Sun on January 6, 2026.
Movie set builder Christian Powys-Keck and 16 other travelers, along with four crew members, were on a five-day New Year's sailing trip from Panama to the Colombian port of Cartagena on The Alessandra, a double-masted yacht that had appeared in Brad Pitt's 1994 film 'Legends of the Fall.' As the people partied and snorkeled during their journey, everything flipped when a steel-hulled yacht was struck, which looked like an aborted pirate raid. Christian, who woke up hearing a loud crash at 4:40 a.m., reacted instantly, working to clear water from the yacht as the captain sent out an emergency alert. He risked his life to run below deck twice to warn other passengers that the ship was sinking.
The yacht sank nose-first like the Titanic as people clung to anything they could. One woman was pulled underwater by a rope, while another was "hit by the yacht as it went down." Christian's brother, Leycester, who works as a security firm boss, explained that Christian "went into action" by raising his voice to wake remaining passengers as water poured across the deck. "By the time Christian was climbing the ladder to get out, he was waist-deep in water, and the ship was beginning to lean and lurch," Leycester said. Christian and another passenger were left clinging to the edge of a giant liner as it plunged toward the ocean. Describing the terrifying account, the hero said, "We were riding it down just like Jack and Rose in the movie, and that scene was actually in my head as I tried to work out when to let go." As time passed, the yacht disappeared beneath the waves, with passengers dragged underwater by the powerful suction. People struggled in the dark and were surrounded by waters known to be home to bull, reef, tiger, and great white sharks. Survivors later said the other vessel kept moving and never stopped to offer assistance.
However, Christian wanted to fight for everyone, despite being terrified himself. The passengers were left in the water for 45 minutes in their night suits with no shoes, but fortunately, they were saved from a disaster. Christian saw shaken survivors holding onto a floating surfboard and scattered wreckage. Others were forced to hang on to a damaged life raft and debris as they waited to be rescued.
In the past, leisure craft had faced attacks from gangs who boarded the ships and took passengers hostage. Soon after the rescue, the passengers were provided first aid, and luckily, none of them was seriously injured. "It was a very frightening experience, but at least everyone survived," Christian said. The young man was hailed "Fletcher Christian" after his movie-style rescue mission, named after the savior from the 1962 classic 'Mutiny on the Bounty.' Interestingly, during this crisis, he managed to save his wallet, passport, phone, and debit card. Reports stated that Coast Guard units responded quickly, reaching those on board within around 20 minutes of the vessel being abandoned.
A 2023 study published in Heliyon reported that approximately 578 incidents of piracy and armed robbery had taken place, as per the International Maritime Organization, in 2011. The study noted that the piracy issue was primarily manifested in violence and outlined various steps that needed to be taken to tackle these crimes. As mentioned in the report, had it not been for Christian's vigilance, the passengers wouldn't have been rescued from the disaster.