A 55-foot motor yacht that has been grounded on Ocracoke Island’s South Point for more than two weeks is floating again, after the Vivens Aqua was successfully moved back into the water on Wednesday.
The vessel owned by a Salisbury, Maryland couple washed ashore in the early morning hours of January 25, and several attempts to pull it back into the water were unsuccessful.
Scott Pumphrey, a retired Baltimore police lieutenant, has remained on board his boat since it washed ashore.
The Ocracoke Observer reported a change of tactics began over the weekend, as Crum Works of Buxton was contracted to use inflatable bags, known as pins, and an excavator to slowly roll the water towards the Pamlico Sound side of the southern tip of the island where deeper, calmer water was available.
The boat was finally pulled into the water and towed to Silver Lake Harbor around midday on Wednesday. After making sure the Vivens Aqua was seaworthy, the vessel will then be towed to a boat yard in Morehead City for repairs.
The National Park Service initially issued a special use permit to the boat’s owner for removal directly over the water. Unfortunately, those efforts failed, which led to a decision to remove all fuel oil from the vessel.
Another special use permit was issued to the boat’s owner and his salvage contractor on February 3 for removal attempts across the beach and into the Pamlico Sound.
A Cape Hatteras National Seashore webpage was recently launched to track the status and progress of the vessels that have grounded along the seashore in the past several weeks, all of which have now been removed from the beach.
Two additional vessels became grounded on the evening of February 2 near Oregon Inlet.
The webpage, https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/news/vessel-groundings.htm, provides updates on these current groundings, and will also be used for any future groundings within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
More coverage from the Ocracoke Observer:
- ‘Vivens Aqua’ finally freed from its 15-day beach berth
- Beached boat on Ocracoke creeps toward deeper water
- Grounded yacht begins a slow move back into the water
- Grounded yacht on Ocracoke awaits Plan B
- Grounded yacht in limbo on Ocracoke
- Refloating efforts continue with grounded yacht; excavating equipment on the way
- Winds hamper yacht removal off Ocracoke beach
- Fuel extraction next step for grounded yacht on Ocracoke beach
- Yacht freeing fails; company to try again at overnight high tide
- Grounded yacht on Ocracoke awaits a tow
- Vessel grounds on south end of Ocracoke Island
