Cigarette Boat Nearly Sinks in Blue Water off Ft. Lauderdale Coast

A 42' Cigarette Hustler was foundering partially sunk in the waters 25 miles offshore Ft. Lauderdale just before midnight on March 17th. The U.S. Coast Guard announced an EPIRB had been activated earlier in the evening along with a report that the vessel was overdue enroute the Bahamas. Assets and crews from U.S. Coast Guard Station Ft. Lauderdale, Air Station Miami and TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale converged on the position that the beacon was transmitting. A Coast Guard Helicopter located the master of the vessel who had abandoned ship; they deployed a rescue swimmer to help lift him to safety and transport him back to land for medical attention. The crew from TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale determined that refloating the diesel powered stern drive boat in the middle of the night so far from shore would be challenging at best. They developed a plan to tow the boat toward shore and anchor the towboat and casualty in 50 feet of water to wait for daylight and additional salvage crew and gear to assist with the operation.

After a long night of towing at very slow speeds, the casualty was anchored south of the Hillsboro inlet and additional crewmembers and assets began to arrive. The crew rigged several lift bags to the vessel in open ocean conditions. They carefully inflated the bags until the vessels stern was level with her bow; her foredeck and transom were now above water but the boat could not be pumped out due to the fact that waves were continually filling the boat with water as fast as the pumps could pump it overboard. The vessel was towed at speeds less than 2 knots for over 4 miles into the entrance of Hillsboro inlet. Once in calm inland waters, the boat was dewatered and towed to a service facility. The TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale fleet maintenance staff went to work immediately to get both main engines and the generator started. After working into the late hours of the night, the crew returned early in the morning to fire up the motors. The entire boat was washed down with a goal of preserving as much value as possible.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has worked for over twenty years to improve upon their salvage processes and procedures. They take preservation of life, safety and attention to each detail very seriously. Contact TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale for professional salvage services when the need arises.