Anybody have any ideas? No, letting the air out of the tires isn't an option.
The first boat on the scene was the Mystic Whaler. The big, heavy, tallship replica, based out of New London, tried to tow the Alabama free using her auxilary engine. She made several attempts without a budge.
The local SeaTow and Towboat US boats then gave it a try. While these are powerful boats, they are more designed to assist smaller and lighter vessels. Working in unison however, seemed like a good idea. One boat attached a line to the mast of the Alabama, while the other rigged a more tradition towline from the stern. The Alabama listed over as the two boats worked in tandem. Watching this, I thought she was going to be pulled free, but after numerous attempts, the schooner was still aground.
By this time, a large crowd had gathered along the shore, and a fleet of small boats circled nearby to watch. It was a hot, windless night and this was turning into a sideshow. Out of respect for the crews and a concern for safety, I kept a good distance away and watched the events from afar, relying on a zoom lense to view the action. Sure, it was interesting to watch, but it was also important to stay out of the way.
What really struck me funny was the number of self-proclaimed experts commenting on what the towboats were doing wrong. Sound can travel a great distance over the water and I could hear the manager of a nearby marina calling them "Dumb &Dumber" along with a few other unprintable words. Everybody is an expert these days.
Soundbounder: Alabama Aground part one
Soundbounder: Alabama Aground part three
Soundbounder: Alabama Aground part four
Soundbounder: Alabama Afloat
Black Dog Tallships: Alabama
Posts
3 comments:
She is hard aground on what looks like the riprap of the rock mounted light. Gwenmor came last night with the tug,but she wouldn't budge. They will try again tonight around 7, high tide @ 6:56.
BTW, she ran aground that morning on the other side of the channel, but was pulled out of the muck, only to overcorrect later that day. Bad day for the Alabama's captain.
I think I would send a diver down to access the situation. It may be easier to pull her off from the bow or her starboards than the ill-fated attempts from pulling astern.
I saw the tug there last night having no luck. Thanks for the confirmation about running aground earlier. I had heard that but wasn't sure if it was just a rumour. Thanks for the insight, Lawrence!
What about off loading the 600 gallons of fuel she had just taken on?
Post a Comment