The stranded yacht that has captivated locals this week is being dragged from Flat Rock by excavators, ending hopes it could be refloated from the reef.

Photos from the scene today show two excavators carrying the 12.5-metre sailing vessel across the rock shelf and along the beach as part of a complex recovery operation.

The Queensland-registered yacht ran aground on Tuesday evening while travelling from Southport to Ballina.

Hopes the vessel may have refloated on high tide proved to be in vain, prompting authorities and contractors to pursue a land-based recovery instead.

A statement issued today by Maritime NSW said the yacht would be removed by land to the nearest road access point at the Sharpes Beach carpark, about 1.3 kilometres north of its location.

From there, a further assessment will be made before the vessel is transported to a local contractor’s boatyard facility.

All diesel fuel and oil were removed from the yacht before the recovery operation began.

A costly outcome

The operation marks a heartbreaking outcome for the yacht’s owner, who earlier told Ballina News Daily he had poured his life savings into the vessel after selling his LandCruiser and caravan.

Earlier this week he described the yacht as his home and returned to the stranded vessel to recover a handful of treasured possessions, including its ship flag.

The owner also indicated he did not have insurance cover in place when the yacht ran aground.

Maritime NSW has since confirmed the owner will be responsible for the costs associated with recovering the vessel.

The 42-foot yacht grounded at Flat Rock being dragged off the shelf (photo: Brad Fisher. Main image: Paul Stanley-Jones)

While the final recovery bill is not yet known, it comes on top of what is likely to be a devastating loss for the owner after days watching the yacht stranded on the reef.

Although the vessel has now been removed from Flat Rock, the combination of days battered by waves on the rocks and today’s heavy machinery extraction means its future appears uncertain at best.

The yacht may have been saved from the ocean, but whether it has been saved at all remains another question.

Earlier Story: Stranded yacht owner battles looters and the tide to save his home