Sailboat beached near Jacksonville, FL

[MicHughV]

Mayport inlet can be a veritable washing machine with an outgoing tide against a nor-easter. Monster standing waves result, making leaving or entering that inlet downright dangerous, unless you have the option of waiting for that brief moment during a slack tide.
An incoming tide with a nor-easter can be manageable, but may require you wait offshore until such time.
Trying to tow a 60' sailboat thru' that inlet in those conditions would be challenging to say the least.
Considering all the available options at hand at the moment, I would have thought that standing offshore would give that boat the best chance of survivability.

But...being an arm chair commentator is easy. Glad the owners are ok.

Trust that they can work all this out somehow or another.

[hpeer]

60’ Morgan schooner.

Wow, bigger boat than I thought!

That’s a LOT of boat.

With a schooner rig I would be surprised if her air draft was much over 60’.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/morgan-60

From this photo you should be able to make out 2 anchors hanging off the bow.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by hpeer

60’ Morgan schooner.

Wow, bigger boat than I thought!

That’s a LOT of boat.

With a schooner rig I would be surprised if her air draft was much over 60’.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/morgan-60

Here's the actual boat, I think as well.

https://m.sailboatlistings.com/view/81782

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

According to the owner the USCG cut the “line” on their boat and that is why it’s aground?

They also called a towing service that didn’t respond?

Spoke to a SeaTow captain today in Mayport who said the Coast Guard tow hawser snapped so they took them off the boat.

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...that boat has been moved....it was pulled off the beach by a J'ville Tug....
...ka-ching.....salvage rights.... !!! Not sure where it is now.

...I'm wondering if it was insured.

...Atlantic Beach is a relatively peaceful neighborhood, the looting story is somewhat surprising. Was the boat not locked when they left it ??

...so many questions, what were they doing offshore in a building nor-easter....heading north....apparently under power alone..and yes, why did they not consider anchoring the vessel....did they consider the ICW ??Maybe it wouldn't fit under the bridges ?? The boat did not appear to ready to be sailed anywhere. All the sails were furled and some missing.

...You can sail against a nor-easter....it will be wet and a bit lumpy, but not that big an ordeal, I've done it.
...they could have called seatow or boatUs to come and help them, they weren't far from the Mayport inlet ???
The USCG is not in the business of towing boats of a beach, they will take you off the boat, if the situation warrants it.

...motoring against a nor-easter is a sure recipe to stir up the junk in your tank, especially if this boat has been sitting somewhere for a while.

...many more questions, but what is the point.

Heard today (from a SeaTow operator who did respond) :

CG had them under tow.
Towing hawser snapped.
SeaTow guy said "no idea" why they didn't anchor in 30 ft when it started.
Boat had no insurance, allegedly.

[MicHughV]

Seatow and BoatUS typically monitor the airwaves 24/7, and from my knowledge about them, they will typically not hesitate to get someone out of a jam, but I don't see a small Seatow boat pulling a 60'-60,000 lb sailboat against a nor-easter and big waves.....nah, not gonna happen.
Purportedly, even the CG snapped a towing hawser, so imagine the strain on the line..

They had choices though:
a) they could have attempted to anchor offshore
b) they could have attempted to anchor behind the south Mayport jetty for some protection
c) they could have turned back
d) they could have hired a delivery skipper and crew..
e) they could have checked the weather before leaving WPB
f) several other thoughts spring to mind, like a 60' boat is a " big" boat for a novice, even for an experienced yachtie...but..kudo's for chasing the horizon

The alleged robbery perturbs me. This boat was lying in breaking seas, at a 45 degree angle in front of homes. The alleged robber(s) would have had to wait for low tide, or swim out at high tide, clamber aboard a sharply heeled boat, open the boat, climb inside a a 45 degree hull, in the dark, with stuff likely strewn all over the place...etc...hmmmmm

The tug that pulled them off will likely claim salvage rights and without insurance, prospects look dim for the owners, but maybe they can work a deal, stranger things have happened.

Nonetheless, a tragedy like this hits close to home, as it could happen even to the most well prepared sailor.
I trust that the owners will recover from this event with spirits unbroken !

[Vasco]

Here she is. Gonna get fixed up. Wonder what it cost to salvage her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on8f...f3dWvwU3LV-zYk

[a64pilot]

Guy in the video said it was going to be cut up.
Why was a crane and a barge involved? Seems like a tug into the channel where seatow would take it?

[Chotu]

That boat had an ASKING price of about $60K. This Mobro salvage operation had to have totalled it!

That barge was scary close to Carson's boat in this pic too.

Well, I guess the rest of everything will be stolen off this boat now to make that Jacksonville experience a complete one. They picked the wrong place to put her. Highest theft in the Jacksonville area right there. This is going to be a terrible experience for these guys. Sad to see all these mistakes being made.

Edit: Didn't have the bandwidth to see she's getting cut up. Seems even more crazy to do that Mobro salvage operation if that's the case.

[Cadence]

It appears, if there is no insurance, it will be a salvage job. I feel for the owners and the salvage co. I'll bet all lose money.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Guy in the video said it was going to be cut up.
Why was a crane and a barge involved? Seems like a tug into the channel where seatow would take it?

She may have been making water or maybe determined at that point to be a salvage. the prior seems more likely even though she wasn't on the rocks? I hope we are kept abreast .

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cadence

She may have been making water or maybe determined at that point to be a salvage. the prior seems more likely even though she wasn't on the rocks? I hope we are kept abreast .

Watching that whole thing, it looked like over kill. A tug to pull her off, a 200' spud barge with a crawler crane, and a large mule and a small one.

The hull looked in relatively good shape, even is she was making a little water a couple of dewatering pumps and a tow would seem adequate. I wasn't there however.

[Franziska]

Maybe the took the advice to hug the beach when trying to avoid the gulf stream to serious?

[Franziska]

Deleting double posting.

[BenBowSirocco]

What motivates people to spend every penny on a "Fixer Upper"? If its a fixer upper, you spend maybe 40-60% of your capital? So you have money to get things rolling along.

Everyone has made great points on the lack of seamanship involved in this incident. One thing I might ask: if you were inexperienced, or only mildly experienced, why buy such a big boat?
Everything you do to that thing is not only going to cost you a large sum of money, but it takes skill and experience not to hurt yourself on gear that size.