North Haven yacht stranded again after latest refloating effort
The latest attempt to refloat a yacht stuck on the North Haven beach looked promising this week, but on Thursday morning it became stuck yet again.
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The yacht that has been stranded on North Haven beach for nearly a month was returned to the water on Wednesday – but a day later, it ran ashore again.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council, with help from local contractor A Haros and Sons Earthmovers, successfully returned the 70-year-old vessel to the sea late on Wednesday.
Using earthmoving equipment, A Haros and Sons director Bill Haros, who gave his time for free, dug a channel and then pulled the dilapidated yacht 50m into the water.
But, images taken about 5pm on Thursday show the boat stuck on a sandbar.
This followed several failed attempts to move the three-tonne boat.
Owner Claude Evans and his son, Samuel, were attempting to sail from Port Adelaide to Port Wakefield on July 15 when they struck bad weather, setting in place a chain of events which left the yacht beached.
But the return to the sea wasn’t all smooth sailing; Samuel said a busted bilge pump resulted in the yacht taking on water, that had to be bucketed out.
The pump had been replaced and the boat was floating again.
Claude’s daughter, Victoria Evans, said they were now searching for someone to help tow the boat to the nearest boat ramp, so it could be put on a trailer and taken to Port Pirie.
“Dad’s a little overwhelmed and very, very tired,” Ms Evans said.
“It’s been completely overwhelming with everything that everyone has done.
“I can’t put it into words.”
Claude, 55, and Samuel were using a dinghy tied to the rundown yacht to tow it into Port Wakefield, where they then planned on taking it by truck to Port Pirie to restore it.
However, while the pair was sleeping on the yacht, the rope snapped and the dinghy vanished
A police boat towed them back to North Haven, where the yacht was anchored slightly offshore, until it broke its moorings and ended up on the beach.
Locals have helped try to move the boat, with many following its journey on social media.
Mr Haros said he was happy to help out an “Aussie battler”.
“You don’t kick someone when they’re down,” Mr Haros said.
“You help them out to do the right thing, and for the community and the coastline.
“ But I can’t take all the credit, Port Adelaide Enfield Council has bent over backwards to help this guy out.”
A Port Adelaide Enfield Council spokesperson said moving the yacht and returning the beach to a safe state had cost less than $1000.
“The council is responsible for the safety of beachgoers on the sand and we want to assist to ensure the safety of all beachgoers, so have been working alongside the owners and DPTI to get the boat back into the water and reinstate the sand,” they said.