A risky anchorage in heavy weather
The skipper of this 45-foot sailing yacht anchored in front of Liscia beach on a coastal trip along the west coast. Despite a gale in the forecast, the skipper remained on his main anchorage. As conditions deteriorated, he realized that his anchor would not hold. Faced with the discomfort of his situation, he decided, without notifying the authorities, to move to a communal anchorage and spend the night in a hotel on the island, leaving his boat alone.
Grounded on sand
Leaving your boat alone during a gale is a risky option, especially as the local anchorage is not designed to safely accommodate such a unit. During the night, the chain broke and the yacht ran aground. It was pushed by a very strong surf onto Liscia beach. The next day, the gale had passed, but the boat was now lying on its side, some 6 meters from the shore.
The hull was not damaged by the grounding, and the rudder is still in place.
But the main challenge now is to get this 11-tonne hull, with a 2.4 m draught, back into the water at the very top of an isolated beach.
A delicate operation
The Ajaccio SNSM was called in to help the skipper. With around fifty volunteers and several nautical resources, this station is an important structure. But that's not enough to carry out the 60 to 70 interventions that the volunteers carry out every year, mainly from June to September.
Given the situation, the insurance company won't cover the operation. The option of towing on the sand was quickly ruled out. The yacht is too high and the bulbous keel would block the maneuver.
It was then decided to use a mechanical shovel to dig a channel in the beach and bring the boat back to open water, as Arnaud Clercin of the SNSM explained: "The excavator operator was very good. In addition, we mobilized our V1 and a dozen volunteers. An operation like this needs to be prepared in advance, so that we can come with the right equipment."
After moving dozens of cubic metres of sand, the first trailer was hit, but quickly broke. Another 2 e the trailer is belted to the sailboat to protect the cleats, but this in turn breaks.
For the 3 e attempting to do this, the mainsail halyard is attached to the shovel bucket to maintain a certain inclination. This maneuver can only be carried out on a through-mast, which is better able to withstand such heavy loads. The launch resumes towing by the stern and slides the grounded hull into deep water.
The rudder won't withstand the return to the water, but that's a minor inconvenience given the complexity of the operation. The sailboat is now being towed by the SNS 150, and will reach a local shipyard after 3h30 of sailing.
Always be in control of your mooring
While the outcome of the intervention was rather fortunate, with little material damage, the main lesson of the incident is an essential reminder. In all circumstances, and all the more so in the event of a gale, the skipper must ensure that his anchorage is secure. In this particular case, leaving the boat to sleep in a hotel is a major risk, especially as the owner had not checked the size of the mooring beforehand. It's always preferable to be able to raise the anchor if necessary.
