Beached Schooner on Fire Island

[Soundbounder]

Le Papillon, a Colvin Pinky schooner beached at Saltaire on Fire Island

Hiked out there yesterday morning.
SOUNDBOUNDER: Ashore On Fire Island

[Unicorn Dreams]

Hopefully she didn't hit too hard.
Beautiful boat, hope it stays that way
Looks like someone was a;ert enough to leave a ;itt;e scrap of jib up to keep her from rolling around.
Or it could be bad sail tending, hopefully the former.

[doug86]

A teenage son of the owner was bringing her from Baltimore to Maine. Details are sketchy, but rumors are that the entire 3 person crew were below when the boat entered the surf.

Local information indicates the boat is filled with water and sand, making any attempt to pull her back to sea almost impossible without pumping and removing sand.

Owner says the boat is uninsured.

A terrible shame for an old lady.

[mbianka]

Soundbounder:

Thanks for the photos and the links. I was very curious about the wreck after I first heard about it here on CF. Would love to know how this happened with three crew on board. Seems they also grounded at Egg Harbor Inlet in New Jersey a week before but, got off and lived to sail again right into Long Island. The boat did a lot of traveling since launched in 1976 it would be a shame to see it's travels end on that beach.

[doug86]

Originally Posted by mbianka

Seems they also grounded at Egg Harbor Inlet in New Jersey a week before but,

I keep seeing that claim on blogs and forums, but so far, not a single story or link to indicate that it's true.

[Soundbounder]

Originally Posted by doug86

I keep seeing that claim on blogs and forums, but so far, not a single story or link to indicate that it's true.

I've seen that claim too.
Then again, a light grounding wouldn't necessarily make the news.

[mbianka]

"This is incredible. This is the same boat that ran onto the shoals at Great Egg Harbor Inlet (Longport, NJ) last week. Two Coast Guard helicopters and Sea Tow were involved. They eventually sailed off. The reality is our inlet is extremely dangerous, is notorious for problems. On the day they got stuck, no one in their right mind would have attempted passage. The waves were breaking all across the entry. SeaTow tried hailing them multiple times to warn them but they never responded. This is toooooo wierd. Makes one wonder what is going on." link

Doug:

Boat groundings happen all the time. That's not news. I doubt any of the local press would bother with a story of a grounding where the boats get off. Unless it's the QM2. But, maybe the Coast Guard near Egg Harbor has something in their log book.

[doug86]

Ok, I spoke with SeaTow. They helped this boat in Atlantic City, not Great Egg. The boat did run around coming into Abescon Inlet, but got him self off and ended up against the overpass bridge inside the channel. SeaTow towed them to Trump marina.

As yet, they haven't been paid for the one hour tow....

[Cormorant]

I'm just curious -- how do salvage rights work in a case like this? Apparently the owner is on scene, but at what point does the wreck become "fair game" to anyone who can actually haul her off the beach?

[doug86]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

I'm just curious -- how do salvage rights work in a case like this? Apparently the owner is on scene, but at what point does the wreck become "fair game" to anyone who can actually haul her off the beach?

Pretty much never. The owner remains the owner whether he is there or not. If someone does haul her off the beach, they can make a salvage claim for their efforts, and the owner has the option to pay that claim. If he fails, the boat can be sold to pay off what is owed to the salvor. This almost never happens. In most cases, the vessel is insured, and the insurance company would pay the salvage claim, for, in the end, they are the beneficiary of a successful salvage effort.

In this case, the vessel probably isn't worth the expense of getting her off.

[Cormorant]

At least he'll have a nice beach house this summer. . . .

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Unicorn Dreams

... Looks like someone was a;ert enough to leave a ;itt;e scrap of jib up to keep her from rolling around ...

Ya think so?

The captain and owner* of “Le Papillon” was identified as 19-year-old Bertil Haney of Harrington, Maine. His two passengers included fellow Maine residents Daniel Bolander and Victoria Parsons, both 20.

➥ https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/pls/web...l_id_in=564500

[doug86]

not sure Gord, but I think the "owner" was the Bertill's father. He showed up the next day.

[Soundbounder]

Originally Posted by doug86

not sure Gord, but I think the "owner" was the Bertill's father. He showed up the next day.

Yes!!!

[VirtualVagabond]

This is very sad to see.

I sailed on her with the guy who built her, from Durban to Capetown in the mid 1980s.
He is an absolute character and an amazing seaman. He sailed her trans Atlantic a number of times and then a circumnavigation. What made it even more amazing is that he didn't put an engine in her until he got to Australia. He sold her some years back and now lives on the Sassafras River.

I've messed about with boats most of my life, but dogwatch on that trip, sailing down the Wild Coast, watching the sun come up over the Indian ocean while everyone was sound asleep, has never left me. Donna came up with a cup of coffee and said "It's got to you, hasn't it. It will never leave you, you know".

She was right. Quarter of a century later and I'm waiting for my house to sell so my partner and I can get our sailing home and live that sea gypsy life.
I hope this is a page that will turn and it will just be another chapter, not Finis.

Vic