Fishermen to the Rescue

In a dramatic and skillful operation, local fisherman expertly pulled the grounded 43 foot yacht off the beach. First, a small boat approached, and three lines were tied to the mast of the grounded vessel. Then a powerful diesel trawler backed up and tied on. Then, the boat was flipped toward the sea, taking advantage of some bouyancy. Then the trawler pulled from the top of the mast to free the boat. I was expecting them to pull from the bow, but this way they got help from the side of the hull, now in the water, and put no strain on the rudder or keel. The boat, from an area charter company, was in reasonable shape afterward. The salvage cost a reported 1100 Euros. As we watched the grounding happen, there are several lessons to be drawn. One, is to drop your anchor. The second is to try a spare anchor, including putting out two at once.  The third, failing those steps, is to kedge out an anchor right after the grounding, to keep the bow into the waves and provide a possible way to tow the boat off more easily.   If this had been a rocky coast and not a beach, the outcome would have been worse.