Sad.

[jamie N]

This is on the beach at Fortrose. The boat's been here since October, and has survived the winter quite well.
I'm told that she's not insured for salvage.

 

[jamie N]

Mods! Apologies for this, I'd intended to place it in Scuttlebutt, where I believe that it's more appropriate.
If you'd be so kind etc.etc.....

 

[KevinV]

What a shame - and it looks such an easy job to get her off

 

[jamie N]

She's a bilge keeler, which kept her upright of course. She broke her mooring strop I believe, near the top of springs, so grounded on shingle by Chanonry Sailing Club. I reckon that there was a small window of opportunity during the next day when the tide was high and the wind low. It would have taken a little bit of effort to remove her; I believe that the hull was still sound enough for her to be towed off, but it didn't happen. Although I'm a local, and can see it from my house, I don't know enough precise detail as to why she's still there.
I'm astonished though that she's still got her sails onboard, rigged and ready to go !

 

[ProDave]

A very sad sight I have been watching since it happened. None of us can understand why there has been no attempt to re float her. We have had very high tides in the last few days (Was your video yesterday? That was high tide with a lot of wind, all the boats on the hard where we are were surrounded by water)

2 days back, the high tide without the wind would have been perfect to try. Can't understand why they did not walk out and plant a couple of substantial anchors at low tide and try and pull it off? You could get a digger on the beach at low tide to clear a channel.

I did ask at the club why they could not use the 2 RIBS to try and tow it off at high tide, I was told they are not insured to do that.

Although right on the shore it looks too much of a reach to crane it from there. I doubt the dinghy park would have enough ground bearing capacity to get a crane close enough.

 

[KevinV]

Interesting that they have put bow and stern lines ashore

 

[jamie N]

@ProDave: Diarmid took it yesterday. You're right about the load bearing capacity on the dinghy park. I believe that it was discussed during crane out, 6 months ago FFS!
I believe that she's beyond anything positive happening to her, but I don't understand why nothing, absolutely nothing, has happened to save the boat or contents.

 

[ProDave]

I've not attempted to get on board or even look inside so I have no idea what state it is in now. The rudder is obviously smashed, but that would be repairable. No idea if the hull is breached yet. If it slams like that much more it would not surprise me in the least if it lost a mast or 2.

But like you I can see her breaking up there eventually as nobody seems intent on doing anything to save her, but the time to have done that would have been shortly after the original grounding. If she does break up there, who is then responsible for removing the wreck?

 

[jamie N]

I've no idea, and agree with you that time's running out. If the insurer has 'some' liability, maybe they'd sanction someone with a chainsaw removing the hazard and selling the bits that can be saved. I reckon that Diarmid is as close as anyone to the action, indeed I was meant to be having a beer with him tonight, but I've a thumb 'hanging' over me.......... .

 

[MontyMariner]

Is it a local boat?
Has there been any signs of the owner?

 

[jamie N]

I believe that they've been to it a 'number' of times, but I've no idea of how often, or what the back story is, since it came ashore.

 

[ProMariner]

I find it sad that the owner isn't taking the lead on cleaning up their mess, It's going to end up as an environmental hazard, it'll cost more to clean up the mess once it gets burst open in a storm. The owner expecting the insurance company to come in and sort it out seems a little naive and irresponsible, as I understand it, it's the responsibility of the owner to make arrangements to move / dispose of the boat / wreck, the insurance company should pick up the tab after the fact. Is this correct? Have been involved with salvaging and disposing some wrecks, it was the council that instigated and paid for it if it was outside port limits, but I guess they try and charge the expense on to the owners, if they can be found.

 

[ProDave]

it was the council that instigated and paid for it if it was outside port limits, but I guess they try and charge the expense on to the owners, if they can be found.

Interesting. It is within the limits of the Port of Inverness. Does that change things?

There does not appear to be an exclusion to Inverness port area around Fortrose harbour (there is an exclusion around Avoch harvour)

Map source if you want to look, just zoom in Marine Scotland - National Marine Plan Interactive

 

[ProDave]

Any more news? Very high tide due to storm surge today, higher than prediction, I bet it has had another pounding?

 

[jamie N]

Ah, possibly some 'movement' given that we're coming up to Fortrose crane-in. I believe that grown-ups are on the case.
Yup, it's getting a beating!

 

[ylop]

I did ask at the club why they could not use the 2 RIBS to try and tow it off at high tide, I was told they are not insured to do that.

Ah the old "we're not insured" line - used as an excuse for people to get out of doing things they'd quite like to avoid.

I don't understand why nothing, absolutely nothing, has happened to save the boat or contents.

People presented with a crisis can often bury their head in the sand. As a disinterested bystander it is easy to see what should be done, but unless you know the personal circumstances of those involved you've no idea if they are physically fit enough to do it, have the means to transport what they remove, have the money to pay for help etc.

 

[jamie N]

Ah the old "we're not insured" line - used as an excuse for people to get out of doing things they'd quite like to avoid.

Think about this: the boat has 'contaminants' onboard, as in fuel, oils and batteries. If the club interfere with the boat and these are released into the environment, it is easy to state that the release was due to club incompetence, and the clean up becomes the clubs responsibility. The club is a sailing club, and has no expertise in contaminant removal. This must be left to experts.
Close by are commercial mussel beds, the 'famous' Chanonry Dolphins and numerous creel fishing spots, as well as a much used 'wild swimming site.
It's not the Torrey Canyon, but the responsibility is the same.

People presented with a crisis can often bury their head in the sand. As a disinterested bystander it is easy to see what should be done, but unless you know the personal circumstances of those involved you've no idea if they are physically fit enough to do it, have the means to transport what they remove, have the money to pay for help etc.

I believe that they'd only recently bought the yacht, before it broke from its mooring and grounded. I believe that the mooring line broke after it had come off from the bow roller, and then chafed through.
There have been a series of meetings between the parties involved, indeed I've seen the owner of the yacht on a number of occasions over the 7 months that it's been lying there. The sails are still on the boat, and have possibly been prevented from blowing out/unravelling by "bystanders" securing them. During this period there have been several tides where the wind has been favourable and an effort would have given a good chance of recovery, in particular the immediate period after the grounding.
"People presented with a crisis can often bury their head in the sand." has more than a 'grain' of probability in it.
A salient point is that the boat is probably beyond any economical repair, so it'd be hard for any of us to pay quite a bit of dosh on a possession that we've possibly spent quite a time saving up for, to scrap it before having full use of it.

 

[srm]

I was in a similar situation very many years ago due to a night of 80kn + winds and big storm surge. Fortunately, I knew a few people so as soon as the tide fell we "borrowed" a big digger and pile of timber from a construction site and pulled the boat higher up the beach clear of subsequent tides using the timber as skids. It was then a case of again borrowing a big crawler crane and truck to move the boat a short distance to a hard standing and set her upright on beaching legs. This time with the site manager's assistance. From then on it was a fairly conventional case of removing the boat to have the hull repaired. Removing mast and rig before lifting with the boat on her side was an interesting challenge.
If we had not been near a major civil engineering project the outcome would have been much more difficult, but the boat and myself were only there because of the civil engineering project.