After over a week of consternation, the Town was finally able to have the grounded sailboat removed from Cape Charles Beach. The town brought in the firms Major Excavation of Bayford and Sea Tow to professionally extract the boat. The remains were towed to the Cape Charles Yacht Center where it will eventually be permanently scuttled.
It was still a crazy situation. There are advanced certifications that can help a skipper deal when the boat runs aground. This boat was from Deltaville where the water is deep–the western shore offers really beautiful sailing, but on the Eastern Shore, not so much. There are shoals and flats that are constantly moving, so it’s hard for those not familiar with the shallowness to be fully aware.
Grounding a sailboat can be a stressful and potentially dangerous situation, but there are steps you can take to help get the boat back afloat. Here are some tips for helping a grounded sailboat:
- Check for damage: Before attempting to move the boat, check for any damage that may have occurred as a result of the grounding. Look for signs of hull damage or water intake.
- Assess the situation: Determine the depth of the water around the boat and the direction of the tide. This information will help you decide the best course of action.
- Reduce weight: Remove any unnecessary weight from the boat to reduce the amount of draft and make it easier to float. This could include removing heavy items from the cabin or taking off sails and rigging.
- Use the tide: If possible, wait for high tide to come in and lift the boat off the bottom. You can also try to use the incoming tide to help push the boat back into deeper water.
- Rock the boat: If the boat is stuck in mud or sand, try rocking it back and forth to help loosen it from the bottom.
- Use lines: Attach lines to the boat and use them to pull it in the direction of deeper water. Use a dinghy or other small boat to assist with this process.
- Seek assistance: If you are unable to move the boat on your own, seek assistance from other boaters or a professional towing service.
Once a boat runs aground, every minute, every hour is crucial. When we saw that boat had been grounded for more than two days, we knew it would only be leaving in pieces. Every change of the tide will turtle the boat even more, and will eventually compromise the keel, the hull, or both. Once it takes on water, it is pretty much a done deal. If this boat had been on the seaside, the sea would have buried it.
Lessons Learned for Town Staff. If you wake up one morning and find a sailboat like this aground, drop everything and make this the number one priority. Don’t wait, call a tow service immediately; they may be able to use the tide to try and salvage it.
Town Manager Hozey told the Mirror, “Regarding the sailboat, the owner is technically still on the hook for the costs, but he doesn’t have much in the way of resources. The town upfronted the cost to be able to get this resolved before it became a bigger problem. We will now seek reimbursement from any or all of the following: the owner, from grants, or from insurance.“
REMEMBER: The law of salvage is a principle of maritime law whereby any person who helps recover another person’s ship or cargo in peril at sea is entitled to a reward commensurate with the value of the property saved.
Maritime law is inherently international, and although salvage laws vary from one country to another, generally there are established conditions to be met to allow a claim of salvage. The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the “salvor” must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected — Wikipedia