A Day at the Beach!
It might surprise you how much sand is picked up off the sea floor and carried within a wave that crashes on a sandy beach. A boat salvor quickly understands this phenomenon when a boat that has lost power drifts onto a beach in less than settled sea conditions. The results are incredible! Left in the breaking waves, many boats will become filled with so much sand in one tide cycle that they become too heavy to remain afloat if the salvor was to use a tug boat to pull them back to sea without first removing the sand. This sand finds its way to every corner of the bilge, many of these spaces are difficult or impossible to get to without cutting into the fiberglass deck. The process of saving a boat in this situation is labor intensive. All of the sand and water must be removed prior to ungrounding. Patience and attention to detail is a must to assure a successful recovery.
Occasionally the value of the damaged boat does not warrant heroic recovery efforts as was the case with this 21’ boat that the crew from TowBoatU.S. Fort Lauderdale was called upon to clean up several months ago. The boat owner tried unsuccessfully to push the boat back to sea for nearly 24 hours. By the time he realized he was ill prepared to perform the salvage on his own, the vessel was full of sand and water and the hull/deck joint was starting to separate. It was determined that the vessel was a total loss and the crew from TowBoatU.S. Fort Lauderdale started the wreck removal process. The vessel was hauled up the beach using a large crane and placed on a flatbed tow truck for delivery to TowBoatU.S. Fort Lauderdale’s disposal facility. Additional photos of the operation can be viewed below. The fuel tank and the engine were removed and disposed of properly to ensure there was no negative environmental impact. The hull was broken up and disposed of at the county landfill.
Quick and decisive action could reduce the chances of this scenario playing out on your boat. If you wind up on the beach, make arrangements quickly with a reputable company to perform the salvage operation. Don’t fall victim to the sand that is carried in ocean waves and has ultimately sent scores of boats, big and small to their final resting places.
