Well my day really sucked.

[rallens]

here you go

Flickr: rallens' Photostream

[MorganPaul]

Thanx rallens for the update.

All I can say is. She does not look good. I hope she gets floated soon.

[sailhog]

Nice work, Rallens. So what does one do with such a boat once she's floated?

[thinwater]

Rallens, everyone --

I have been in contact with the owner for a couple of weeks and we have resolved all of the issues so that I can attempt to raise her. It won't be next weekend (tides are all wrong) but rather the 15th. I have my diver lined up, my float bags, and some labor and services to assist if the stars align, distant or otherwise.

I'm glad to hear she's not full of mud, but it may be settled in places that can't be seen or felt from the cockpit. Still, it sounds better than most of us imagined.

You, and everyone else on this list who can make it, are welcome to come out and help or just cheer for us (and her). It has taken quite a bit of organization just to get the pieces (people, supplies, and equipment) in place, but I'm pretty sure she's coming out of there on the rising tide 10/15/09. I'll be posting here in the days leading up to the resurrection.

John

[rallens]

That's good to hear. Just out of curiosity where did you get your lift bags? I was looking into renting them from

Rental Tools Online - Specialty Tools and ROVs for Hazardous Locations, Underwater, and Emergency Services.

or buying them from

http://www.proliftbags.com/index.html

But after seeing the shape she was in in person my budget for recovery shrank.

There are a lot of ideas and opinions in this thread about how to get her out on the cheap. The reality of the situation is without professional lift bags (or a tugboat or crane) it's gonna be a lot of work to get her out.

So here's my two cents or what I had planed for my recovery attempt. I'm not sure if you've seen her in person or not but it sounds like you have all your ducks in a row and you will be raising her on the 15th. So I hope my advice is of some use.

I planned on renting or buying four 6,600 lb lift bags. I figured with double the weight of the boat in lift capacity she'd have to float. Your biggest obstacle is going to be getting the straps under the hull to attach the starboard side lift bags to. You said you have a diver so that should help a lot in that task. The mud is fairly soft and pushing the straps under the hull may work. Or starting them from each end and using a come along to pull them towards the center. I had planed of placing two straps under the hull one in front and one behind the keel. And running two straps along the length of the keel to attach the two bags on each side together (to keep them from slipping out of position).

After swimming around Distant Star for about an hour yesterday I came to the conclusion (if I got the chance to float her) that I would place straps as mentioned above, attach the bags, and float her in her current position i.e. on her side. Tow her into deeper water where the weight of the keel should do its job. Once in deeper water if the weight of the keel is not enough to straighten her out you should be able to get her vertical with a little help from your friends. Then fire up the old trash pump, and in a few minutes she'll be floating on her own. I addition to the lift bags I also considering filling the cabin with various things to increase the overall buoyancy. One thing I thought might work would be bunnage bags

Home - Dunnage Air Bags

There pretty cheap but I never got around to finding a local supplier and testing them to see how tough they are.

Anyway, I wish you luck and I hope my two cents were of some use.

p.s. let me know what time you'll be out there I may be able to muster a few good men to come help you out.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Jody --

Can you supply any links to the information you saw? Was it all on IE or is there a secondary source? Thanks!

John

It was on Entertainment tonite or whatever rag on on NBC that does it (just google it.. between CBS and NBC the story is there I am sure it was Inside Edition" though Friday Aug 1st.... It was interesting as they ran stories before but never with govt officials, and I grew up In SC..in that area

[JohnRPollard]

Thanks for the photos, rallens. (The 10-post requirement is one of our anti-spam features).

It's clear from the photos that the boat has experienced some serious structural damage (e.g. chainplate ripping up through deck). So anyone considering a salvage should be aware that it's not going to be "simply" a matter of re-floating and re-fitting this boat. Major repairs and replacements are in the queue as well.

Why do you suppose the owner is giving it away?

Even free, this boat is no bargain. Sail-away boats, on trailers or floating in slips, with working engines, can be found for a fraction of the amount that will be spent rescuing and restoring this boat. (I know someone who bought his sail-away Tartan 27, on a road-worthy trailer, for $1 -- yes, one dollar).

A professional (someone in the business of not losing money) would charge a tidy sum for this salvage, even if they were offered the hulk in the bargain. Likewise, any novice accepting the responsibility for salvage and removal should be charging for their efforts.

Normally I would recommend that you take title of the vessel before expending effort or funds at salvaging it -- but in this case I would advise caution about assuming legal responsibility ahead of schedule. The notice secured to the end of the mast (in rallens' photos) will become the problem of whomever owns the vessel. As will any fines for environmental remediation that might be assessed as a result of the sinking or the salvage (fuel spills?)

Originally Posted by rallens

....I planned on renting or buying four 6,600 lb lift bags. I figured with double the weight of the boat in lift capacity she'd have to float.

I think you need to re-confirm those weight estimates.

Best of luck!!

[bubb2]

Rallens, I know you didn't ask but I am going to add my comments. Your photo 1938 shows the rig compromised. You need to get that rig off that boat BEFORE you try to right her or float her. That mast could easily buckle or snap being unsupported on the port side. One good roll of the boat would be all it would take.

[smackdaddy]

John, a couple of questions:

1. Any ideas on the rough cost of a pro salvage on this thing? Are we talking $5K-10K? More?

2. Also, what could an owner do, on his own, on the cheap, to remedy the situation? Chainsaw it to pieces at low tide? Haul the pieces to the dump?

I'm just curious what a real solution here is for an owner if they don't have the money to pay for a salvage or serious hauling operation. For example, it seems that for this boat you're talking hauling whatever you chop up across the water, then to a truck at the nearest road Then to the dump or landfill. Then what environment issues are you facing when you do this? What permits do you need?

It looks like any way you try it - it's going to be very expensive.

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

John, a couple of questions:

1. Any ideas on the rough cost of a pro salvage on this thing? Are we talking $5K-10K? More?

2. Also, what could an owner do, on his own, on the cheap, to remedy the situation? Chainsaw it to pieces at low tide? Haul the pieces to the dump?

I'm just curious what a real solution here is for an owner if they don't have the money to pay for a salvage or serious hauling operation. For example, it seems that for this boat you're talking hauling whatever you chop up across the water, then to a truck at the nearest road Then to the dump or landfill. Then what environment issues are you facing when you do this? What permits do you need?

It looks like any way you try it - it's going to be very expensive.

Smack,

I really couldn't even venture what it would cost to salvage this boat. My very general knowledge about costs of salvaging comes from reading insurance reports (Seaworthy, etc) on the costs of salvaging boats that were fully insured. My impression is that those costs are partly situational (location, risk, difficulty, etc) but almost universally fairly steep. Hence the frequent admonition to clarify that a situation is NOT a salvage when requesting towing assistance.

But if I had to guess, I think your figure of $5-10K for a professional salvage is in the ballpark. For that fee you'd get more than just a refloating of the vessel. A professional salvor would obtain any necessary permits and employ measures (encircling with petroleum absorbent booms, etc) to mitigate environmental damage.

But beyond the salvor's fees, there would be other costs. Once the vessel is refloated, it will need to be immediately towed, hauled, blocked, and stored. There are other cost uncertainties too. Who knows, if there are fines assessed against the vessel, it may be "impounded" until those fines are paid.

Absent the resources to pay for salvage or execute it himself, what is an owner to do? Good question. I don't have an answer. Personal bankruptcy?

For those lacking the resources to self-insure, this certainly would be a cautionary example in favor of maintaining at a minimum liability and salvage insurance, even on boats with minimal market value.