TowBoatUS San Diego Removes 60ft Yacht from beach

What most people were thinking about on Super Bowl Sunday Morning was who was going to be at the party and who was going to win. That was the last thing on the minds for the TowBoatUS San Diego Crew. It all started around midnight when TowBoatUS San Diego was call to attempt to salvage a 56′ Navigator that had struck the jetty and was aground in the storm Ravaged surf of Oceanside Beach. Harbor patrol boats had to turn around because the sea were so dangerous.  

TowBoatUS Boat Shelter Island would be the only hope for this once luxurious yacht to be pulled off. With 900 Horse Power and a top speed of almost 30 knots it has proven to be the go to boat for Salvage Beach pulls. Captain Eric Lamb and Captain Travis Basom Gear the vessel up for the task and headed for Oceanside. Captain Tony Olson, Captain Shane Thompson, Captain Steve Lambert, Captain Rob Butler and Salvage Diver Augustine Malfavon arrived by truck. What is normally a 1.5 hour run from TowBoatUS San Diego’s home base under the Coronado Bay Bridge turned into a 5 hour run in seas to 12′. As the tide went out and the land salvage crew set up a plan to extract the vessel from the water.

The surf was so big the lifeguards requested we waited until the surf subsided. Their wish was granted because Just a few months ago TowBoatUS San Diego salvaged a sailboat from the same exact location, only the sea were half as big on that occasion and that was dangerous because of the cross swell that runs down the outer jetty. The Salvage Divers boarded the stricken vessel and attempted to assess the damage. the Vessel had reportedly lost power then drifted over the rocks tearing a huge gash out of the keel then hit the rocks on the port then the anchor hung and the boat turned around and pounded the starboard side this buried itself in a 8′ hole. After determining the vessel was un recoverable from water a land based wreck removal was set up and the boat was bridled with 1-1/4″ Plasma line. this line it the strongest line in the world for its size and every bit of the 1000′ would be needed as a Caterpillar D-8 tractor and a Caterpillar 330 excavator would have to pull with everything they have to pull the stricken vessel out of the hole. As salvage Master Robert Butler and Crew rigged the massive bridle wrapping the boat twice the Haz Mat team using Roberts Polaris Razor S removed the fuel 50 gallons at a time.

After the bridle was rigged the remaining stretch was drug to the beach and attached to the f-250’s wench and pulled tight to keep everything in place for the monster pull the next morning. As the high tide crested the next morning a quick swim by salvage diver Greg Rood proved that everything was in place and ready to go. as the tractor took full strain on the line the bow of the boat came out of the hole. but, the stern remained stubborn and design to stay in the hole. the plasma line cut through the yacht like a wire cheese knife until it was better than half way through the vessel. Then the stern almost magically popped out of the hole. Now it was just raw power vs. sheer weight as the tractor dug into the sand. the salvage team had to keep re rigging the line so the behemoth tractor could pull on wet hard flat sand. Once the boat was within reach the excavator grabbed the stern and helped the boat inch closer to its final resting place.

Only after the Excavator rigged with a line lifted the bow and the tractor pushed did the boat end up where it was planned to be a few hours earlier, right next to the parking lot. As the last of the fuels and oil were pumped from the vessel high sided 40′ dump trucks lined the parking lot waiting their turn to help deliver this once gorgeous yacht to the local land fill. The excavation tore open the boat like a kid opening a present on Christmas. and 7 dump trucks later there was only trek marks from the equipment and some small peices which were sifted the next day through a 1/4″ mesh screen until the final 200lbs of boat were removed.Boat Crunch “Click on the bold BOAT CRUNCH then click on boat crunch again to veiw video.”