62' Azimut on the Beach Just North of Boca Inlet!

March 2015 was the month for large beached boats in South Florida. Just days before a commercial crab boat crashed up on Ft. Lauderdale Beach, a 62' Azimut struck the bottom as the owner eased her into shallower water. He had plans to pick up a friend that was to swim out to the boat from the beach in Boca Raton and enjoy the evening on the water. As the boat crossed a shallow bar and grounded, the main engines shut down and the boat was carried by the wind and surf to the west into even shallower water just off the beach.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale’s Director of Operations, Kevin Collins dispatched two of the company’s most powerful tugs from their base in Ft. Lauderdale. 3 other boats were on scene as safety boats and 3 salvage crewmembers were working from land. The casualty was parallel to the surf and getting pounded by waves and digging deeper into the sand where it had come to rest. After rigging several high volume dewatering pumps onboard the casualty, Towing hawsers were carefully rigged and the tugs began their attempt to remove the yacht from the beach. After nearly an hour of steady pulling, a falling tide made it clear that the vessel would not move during that tide cycle. She had become rooted in the sand and extraction was becoming more difficult with each set of large waves that washed around her hull. The crew regrouped as they awaited the next high tide, knowing that the weather was scheduled to deteriorate. Wind and seas were forecast to increase considerably over the coming hours, making it imperative to remove the vessel as quickly as possible. As high tide approached, the salvage crew began taking up strain on towing hawsers again at approximately 9:00 P.M. Using the most powerful tugs in the fleet and working different angles until the late night hours, the casualty was eventually pulled free from the beach. The salvage crew carefully inspected every compartment for flooding and set a course in tow for the boatyard with minimal damage evident on the yacht. The salvage crew notched another successful salvage on their resume considering the efficiency of the operation and the value of the yacht that was preserved due to their decisive action and professional techniques.