The Grand Tour: Richard Hammond recalls capsizing a boat

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Richard Hammond, 52, lost millionaire businessman pal Dean Kronsbein in a yacht accident just off the coast of Sardinia last weekend. The Top Gear favourite was devastated to lose his friend, with whom he shares his well-documented passion for classic cars, and described himself as “heartbroken”.

Richard has stated that his late friend was his “favourite person to introduce others to” and that they had been close for years.

It had barely been a month since the pair were seen together at his The Smallest Cog car restoration workshop, and the two men have also filmed for TV together.

Dean, a British-German businessman who owned the Herefordshire based mask supplier Ultrafilter Medical, had been holidaying with family and friends on a luxurious yacht named ‘Amore’ (the Italian word for ‘love’) when disaster struck.

The 88 foot yacht crashed into a rock wall, with himself, his wife and daughter and four other revellers on board.

Police have suggested that it had been travelling at high speed when it went off course.

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Dean was thrown from the deck into the water, and following the shock of the impact, he went into cardiac arrest.

Though he was initially rescued, he died shortly afterwards.

His wife and daughter are currently being treated at a British hospital for serious injuries, while the other guests have escaped the tragic scene relatively unscathed.

The impact of the crash was so severe that the bow of Dean’s yacht was completely destroyed.

It is believed that the captain could have swerved to avoid collision with another passing boat by the name of Sweet Dragon.

However the movement caused the yacht to lose control altogether, leading to the tragic accident.

The partially sunken yacht has now been recovered and taken to Porto Cervo.

Meanwhile Richard gave a statement to the Daily Mail honouring his beloved friend.

“I’m genuinely shocked at this heartbreaking news,” he stated.

“He really was a larger than life character and I know people often say that, but he really was, and the world needs more people like him.”

The TV star added: “He was a big hearted, fun character who wanted people to enjoy themselves when they were with him and he was also an astute businessman.”

The mechanic, who had previously fronted Top Gear along with colleagues Jeremy Clarkson and James May, is believed to have first bonded with Dean over his classic car collection.

“Dean was much loved beyond that close-knit family as a showman, a natural born Master of Ceremonies who always wanted to bring people together, whether to do business or enjoy a party,” Richard elaborated.

Giving his best wishes to Dean’s bereaved wife and daughter, he added: “As a natural performer he contributed his own unique and wonderful style to the filming we did together this year.

“The whole production team, the workshop team and my family are shocked and saddened to hear the news.”

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