American Yacht stranded in Nuku Hiva

[double u]

https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/polyn...s-1037515.html

apparently total loss

[ilenart]

Google translate very handy

A sailboat stranded in the Marquesas

A sailboat ran aground on Wednesday in Taiohae Bay in Nuku Hiva. The sailboat was unmanned and at anchor. Its owner of American nationality is identified, but he has not yet been able to be reached in the United States.

His sailboat had been left at anchor, unattended, and, according to information gathered there, it appeared that he intended to sell it. Informed, the DPAM (Polynesian Directorate of Maritime Affairs) immediately approached the municipality of Nuku Hiva to assess the situation and set up an operation to withdraw the ship.

It turned out that withdrawing the ship by sea was the most obvious option, but it required more resources than those available on the island. It was therefore considered to divert a tuna vessel located near Nuku Hiva to tow the vessel. But the low tide then revealed that the hull of the ship was torn, which made it impossible to withdraw by sea, the sailboat at risk of sinking. It was therefore decided to disengage it by land and to mobilize for this purpose the two dredges of a company of the municipality recently arrived on the spot.

Unfortunately the severe swell that hit the Marquesas coast since Wednesday evening finally got the better of the sailboat, which shattered into several pieces. A part (about 30%) has already been evacuated by the employees of the municipality in the course of the morning with the construction machinery which had been mobilized. Other significant portions should be accessible at low tide.

The risk of pollution is low, because the oil and pollutants were removed from the ship without delay, as early as Wednesday. Debris was found on both sides in the bay, pushed by the currents generated by the swell, but it is inert and easily recoverable waste. The municipality will take charge of this waste which will be stored in a waste reception center pending a possible passage by the ship's insurers. The DPAM will cover the costs of evacuating the debris and continuing its investigations to find the owner and his insurer.

When I was at Nuku Hiva in 2010 there appeared to be a few yachts left at anchor. This is a lovely spot to visit and someone leaving their yacht unattended then creating a mess the locals have to clean up is not good. Hopefully the owner will be located and take responsibility.

Ilenart

[JPA Cate]

Another Covid lost boat....

Sad.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Another Covid lost boat....

Sad.

Probably the exact truth.

[carstenb]

I'm not sure, but it looks a lot like the ketch that came in in 2019 when we were there. If it is, that was a 53 foot Choy Lee that had been purchased in the US, had a new rig put on in Mexico and was being sailed to Australia by a delivery crew when the entire new rig went overbaord about 500nm from Nuku Hiva. The delivery crew left it at anchor in the bay and th owner was trying to sell it.

It look like that boat - if it is it has been at anchor in the bay for over two years.

[double u]

not "Covid lost":
AFAIK dismasted on the trip to Oz with delivery crew she had been waiting 2 years for the owners to take action.

[carstenb]

We heard that the owner was trying to sell it for $45k - which is a silly price considering the masts and rig were lost. There is no place in Polynesia where you can source new masts or even a running rig for that boat. You would have to get it all sent in by ship. Next problem is finding a mast crane - Tahiti is the closest and you would need to motor the 7 days or so to Tahiti.

There was a ketch lying on the reef at Rangiroa - a resourceful person might have found a way to salvage the rig off that and get it mounted on the Choy Lee - but $45k is silly -

In the end - the boat was from 1984? So old.
Giving it away would have gotten rid of it.