Aldebaran Sinks

[Photoboy]

Hayden Brown's 54' Schooner, Alderbaran sunk outside the Point Protrero breakwater over July 4th weekend, fortunately in shallow water. Details unclear at present, will dig around for more details. The positive thing is in shallow water and easily salvageable.

A crappy way to start the Independence Day Holiday

Photos courtesey Kimberly Paternoster

[Thing-Fish]

Bummer. She is a lovely boat, built by the owner in his backyard over many years, and sailing the Bay for over 20. We got a nice tour of her a couple of years ago. Good luck on recovery and repair.

[IOR Geezer]

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/...3-07-08#Story2

Lectronic Latitude has the story, looks like the recovery is too much for Hayden's pocketbook:

Local sailors will be familiar with the sight of the beautiful 70-ft 'pirate ship' Aldebaran plying the waters of San Francisco Bay — she won last year's Great San Francisco Schooner Race and is the official pirate boat of the Vallejo Pirate Festival — but the merry 4th of July fireworks cruise aboard the schooner came to a tragic end when she ran up on the Richmond Jetty. Owner Hayden Brown designed and built Aldebaran over the course of 40-some years, and has taken well over 1,000 people out on the boat for charitable causes.

"We were coming back from the fireworks around 10:30 p.m.," he told us this morning. "I had the GPS map on but hadn't zoomed in because I was looking for the entrance buoys. All of a sudden I saw a flash of water and realized that we were heading straight for the breakwater. My first thought was to turn, but I decided to take it straight on so the side of the boat wouldn't get crushed."

[Tonapah Low]

Ouch!

[Oronoco]

Parker Diving Services were supposed to make some attempts to salvage today. I could see a work boat near her but the vessel is still hard aground and remains a sunken wreck.

[Photoboy]

Pics from Saturday, still intact, but lots of debris on the rocks next to her.

[Oronoco]

There was a plan to fix the leaks at high tide on July 15 and raise her at low tide July 22.
Don't know if worked on the 15th but this vessel looks doomed to me. Pretty sad story.

[Tagglesnothe]

Thatte suckes. Maybeye one lesse 'fore the ditche"¿

)notte thate Iy'e woulde knowe''''(

[Oronoco]

Passed by on the Richmond Bridge, she's been salvaged today. Looks like Parker Diving got 'er done!
Don't know her fate, but KKMI boatyard reportedly refused to take her.

[Thing-Fish]

Passed by on the Richmond Bridge, she's been salvaged today. Looks like Parker Diving got 'er done!
Don't know her fate, but KKMI boatyard reportedly refused to take her.

Or the owner wouldn't sign the estimate. Bummer, such a nice boat.

[Photoboy]

Aldbaran Salvaged!




Video Link

KTVU Reports Aldebaran Is Salvaged:

POINT RICHMOND, Calif. —


Salvage crews were able to lift a sailboat that had been stuck in the mud for three weeks along the shore of Point Richmond Tuesday, according to police and U.S. Coast Guard officials.

The schooner, called the Aldebaran, has been lodged in the mud since it ran aground on the Fourth of July. The U.S. Coast Guard had to rescue multiple people on board, Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Mike Lutz said.

Coast Guard crews later removed all of the fuel from the boat and ensured that no pollutants had leaked into the water, he said.

It was a beautiful sight for owners Hayden and Fern Brown Tuesday morning as they watched their pride and joy being towed back to shore.

The ship is now sitting off the coast of Brooks Island. While the vessel is still in bad shape, the owners are hoping to repair it.

Hayden Brown built the Aldeberan by hand.

The couple has spent $35,000 so far to have parker diving services tow the boat.

Repairing the Aldeberan will cost a lot more.

The Aldbaran is well known in the sailing community before the accident. It sailed in a local pirate festival and was used for charity events.

Since the accident, the couple has been raising money to pay for repairs and the complicated recovery.

They eventually plan to donate the boat so the next generation of sailors can enjoy it.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/...-july-4/nY2GY/

[Oronoco]

As of yesterday, owner says it has cost $40,000 to move the boat from one mud hole to another. They are "re-thinking" what to do next because they are out of money. With the pumps off, it has settled to the bottom. This ferro-cement wreck will likely sit until ....

[Nick Salvador]

Passed by on the Richmond Bridge, she's been salvaged today. Looks like Parker Diving got 'er done!
Don't know her fate, but KKMI boatyard reportedly refused to take her.

Why would a yard accept a hulk when it's been widely reported that the owner doesn't have enough money to pay to fix it? Sounds like a great way to get stuck with something you don't want...like the nautical version of v.d.

[Built to List]

Why would a yard accept a hulk when it's been widely reported that the owner doesn't have enough money to pay to fix it? Sounds like a great way to get stuck with something you don't want...like the nautical version of v.d.

He has a valid point

[Cleveland Steamer]

A rising tide lifts all boats. (Except those with a huge hole in their hull)

Ernie Hemingway