UPDATED, Wednesday 4:30 p.m.
A pair of vessels that have been grounded on the Outer Banks over the past week have finally returned to sea, as the shrimp trawler F/V Bald Eagle II off Southern Shores and a 38-foot sailboat, the Alhambra, off Avon were pulled back into the ocean by other vessels this afternoon.
The Bald Eagle II, a steel-hulled shrimp trawler has been in the surf near Trout Run since running into engine trouble on Tuesday, Dec. 6, around 7:30 a.m. A net snagged the propeller, the crew dropped anchor but were unable to prevent the vessel from reaching the shoreline off Dogwood Drive.
Four crewmembers on the boat were airlifted to safety by the Coast Guard after it grounded inside the outer sandbar.
The boat drifted southward to near Dolphin Run and then came to rest near Trout Run in the vicinity “Y” intersection of N.C. 12 and Ocean Trail by midday where it has been located ever since.
A salvage team and another trawler, the Capt. Malc, tried to refloat the vessel during high tide overnight, but the tow rope broke and their efforts were for naught.
More than 7,000 gallons of fuel and oily-water, weighing more than 50,000 pounds, was pumped out of the vessel according to the Coast Guard, which supervised efforts to minimize any environmental damage until the boat was removed from the beach.
Photos courtesy George Berry:
The bow of the Bald Eagle II had been turned back into the waves by 2:30 p.m. as the tug John Joseph pulled a braided tow rope, while an excavator dug sand out from under the stern to help refloat the vessel which is being towed to Newport News for repairs.
Len Schmitz of Southern Shores has been out every day documenting the salvage effort, and sharing photos and video on his Facebook page:
Down on Hatteras Island the small area of beach around a grounded sailboat north of Avon Pier was closed today to allow crews to get that vessel back into the ocean.
The sailing vessel Alhambra returned to the water this afternoon and successfully navigated beyond Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Avon Fishing Pier. pic.twitter.com/Vx8lepwE09
— Cape Hatteras National Seashore (@CapeHatterasNPS) December 15, 2021
The National Park Service issued a permit Tuesday for recovery of the 37-foot Alhambra, which ended up beached near Tigrone Boulevard in Avon around 3 a.m. Saturday.
The master of the Island Packet yacht was the only person onboard, and made it to shore with assistance of the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad.
Earlier this month, the F/V Johnathan Ryan was refloated and steamed away several hours after grounding near Ramp 48 off Frisco.
