Yesterday in the anchoring area of La Cruz bay, there was an heartbreaking loss of a boat. A sailboat at anchor with the owners ashore for a hotel stay, lost its anchor or dragged anchor until the boat beat upon exposed rocks in the surf. Within a short time, the boat was resting on its side with the mast at a 45 degree angle, lunging back and forth in the surf like some beached creature trying valiantly to regain its watery domain. There was a call for help sent out on the VHF radio channel 16 for people to form a human bucket brigade to ferry equipment from the boat onto shore, in an attempt to at least save some value from the yacht. The boat itself had a hull breach on the down or port side with a large rock poking through into the cabin, making righting and floating the boat unfeasible. Anything of any value that could be taken off the boat was done so using a steady ferry of kayaks plying back and forth to shore. Ropes, electronic equipment, clothes, navigation instruments, a life raft, and even the propane stove found safety on the beach. Finally as darkness crept in and the tide rose to place breakers onto the boat itself, the deed was done and most anything of value was off the boat. The real danger however, diesel fuel in the tanks, was still an active threat and would have to be dealt with in the morning when salvage operations commenced to take the boat off the rocks and cast it into the derelict boat resting place. This is perhaps the saddest moment a sailor could experience, bidding farewell to his boat held as dear to oneself as a best friend. Some of the last kayaks ferried to shore contained splintered fragments of the boat’s wooden hull, as sentimental remnants of a once splendid craft. Moral of the story - have a big anchor, long length of anchor chain, and instill a sailor’s nagging paranoia of anchoring security.
This is the shoreside view of the "Rage" sailboat as it came to rest on its side after the drift to shore was interrupted by a rocky reef. Several people were on board trying to set a kedge anchor out in deeper water to prevent the boat from washing further onto the beach.
Volunteers from the local sailing community sallied forth to form a human conveyor belt, ferrying kayaks to and fro the beach laden with salvaged equipment.
As part of the vanguard taking equipment off the boat, Cindy was unluckily positioned near the point of breaking surf. I only saw her go under once or twice, so knew that she could tough it out!
You never want your boat in this position. Just a bit too much heel. Eventually most of what you see on this deck was stripped off and ferried to the beach. In conversations with other cruisers, it became apparent that many boats, particularly the older ones, are not insured. So if a tragedy like happens, you suffer a total loss, with the added burden of paying for the boat salvage. The Canadian flag was one of the last items to be taken off the boat, as if the owner had to forcibly admit defeat and relinquish his boat to the ocean.
There was a race against time in salvaging the boat due to the pending sunset, but ironically this sunset was one of the more beautiful that we've seen. This little colorful gift at the end of the day certainly is in contrast to the tragedy that unfolded on the rocky shoal that day.
