Stranded yacht owner battles looters and the tide to save his home
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The owner of a yacht stranded on Flat Rock says reports of people attempting to board the vessel have added to the trauma of losing what had become his home.
James, who asked that only his first name be used because he was embarrassed by the grounding, returned to the stricken yacht Victoria this morning to rescue what he could from the vessel before it was potentially lost forever.
Carrying a handful of treasured possessions, including the yacht’s ship flag, he cut a forlorn figure against the backdrop of the stranded vessel.
For James, Victoria had become much more than a yacht.
“That was my house,” he said.
As he tried to recover what remained of his belongings, James said he learned people had been preying on his misfortune.
“There’s already been people on board trying to take stuff,” he said.
“I was just worried that there were only a couple of very special things that I had to grab.”
James said he had sold his LandCruiser and caravan to fund the purchase of Victoria and had recently completed extensive refurbishment work on the yacht.
“We just refurbished all of the upper deck. We’ve done everything new. I took her for a couple of sea trials, and it sailed beautifully. Then last night this.”
The Queensland-registered yacht was travelling from Southport to Ballina when it struck Flat Rock about 6.15 last night..
James (main image above) and his travelling companion, Dave, 67, were rescued by nearby fishermen and brought safely ashore before emergency services arrived.
Race against the tide
With one of the highest tides of the week expected to peak at about 1.6 metres around 10pm tonight, attention is now focused on whether Victoria can be refloated before further damage occurs.
Maritime authorities spent today assessing the vessel and exploring salvage options, with tonight’s tide potentially offering the most favourable recovery window in coming days.
NSW Maritime Senior Boating Officer Bret Ryan said environmental considerations would be the first priority before any salvage attempt could proceed.
Maritime Boating Officer Bret Ryan at the scene this morning evaluating salvage options
“Firstly, what pollution potential it has, how much fuel is on board, oils, to ensure that if it is, in the worst-case scenario, going to break up, it’s not going to damage the environment. So, it’s our first priority,” he said.
Ryan said although the vessel was new, James and Dave were not new to sailing.
“Those who were on board when the yacht ran aground are obviously shaken by the experience but they are recovering and have received medical treatment in hospital for minor exposure to the elements,” he said.
“They’re experienced operators, and there are a number of contributing factors as to how the boat ended up there, which at the moment is still subject to investigation.”
Any recovery effort will depend on weather conditions.
“It will be subject to available equipment, expertise, all those factors, and then we still need to follow the framework and guidelines that we have in legislation as far as when and who is engaged,” Ryan said.
He said the yacht appeared structurally robust, with a thick fibreglass hull, but would require further inspection if successfully refloated.
Call for a beacon
Despite his embarrassment, James said he felt compelled to speak publicly because he believed a navigation beacon on Flat Rock could help prevent similar incidents in future.
He claimed he was following a direct line between Cape Byron and Ballina’s navigation lights when the yacht ended up only metres from the reef.
The incident occurred less than a month after the tragic loss of three lives in the Marine Rescue Ballina disaster at the entrance to the Richmond River.
Marine Rescue Ballina was notified of Tuesday night’s grounding but said it was unable to deploy a vessel as the unit awaits a replacement for BA30.
Fortunately, nearby fishermen were able to assist the yacht’s occupants safely ashore.
The 42-foot yacht grounded at Flat Rock (photo Paul Stanley-Jones)
Flat Rock’s long history
The incident has also revived memories of another dramatic Flat Rock salvage operation exactly 50 years ago.
Local resident Billy Hession recalled a trawler grounding on the reef in 1976 before being successfully removed and transported by road through Lennox Head back to Ballina.
“In the mid-’70s a trawler grounded on the rock and was skulldraged off and loaded onto a low loader then transported through the main street of Lennox back to Ballina,” he wrote on social media.
“I remember the guy standing on the deck lifting the power lines as it passed through town. Quite a sight to see.”
Sharon Webber responded that her husband and father-in-law were involved in the operation.
While salvage techniques have changed considerably since then, the story serves as a reminder that Flat Rock has long been a hazard for mariners approaching the notoriously challenging entrance to the Richmond River and Ballina port.
For now, all eyes are on tonight’s high tide and whether it provides Victoria with a path back to deep water.
Clipping from the Northern Star from July 1976: The Ballina fishing trawler Arunta 2 is stuck high and dry on Flat Rock, three miles north of Ballina, after running aground on the rock on Tuesday night. The owner and skipper of the vessel Mr Fred Webber and his son Danny could only look and wonder how to get the trawler off. (credit: Sharon Webber/Facebook)
Additional reporting by Rod Bruem
