Waiting for the next king tide

The beached boat is to be wrecked. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Regional council contractors are hoping the king tides associated with tonight's supermoon will give them the needed boost to clear the wrecked boat.

The converted fishing boat ended up on the sand bar, opposite The Strand reclamation, following the storm on January 5.

'Because the vessel has a 2m draft, we need a king tide to float it,” says regional harbourmaster Peter Buell.

'We are planning to start the re-floating process today and then actually move the vessel on Friday at the height of the tide. If the weather isn't favourable then we may need to move this job to Saturday.”

Once re-floated, the boat will be taken out of water and disposed of as a wreck.

The distinctive looking boat was at the Tauranga Bridge Marina for several years before being sold and moved to Omokoroa.

It changed hands again and, partly because of its low freeboard, had to be pumped out while under tow to its new location on the Town Reach.

The converted fishing boat was on a mooring and broke free during the storm in the first week of the New Year. It was part of the boat that failed, not the mooring, says Peter.

'The bow of the boat was damaged during the storm and subsequently the remaining sharp edge severed the mooring line connecting it to the mooring,” says Peter. 'The wind then pushed it up onto the shore.”

They do not expect any residual oil to enter the water, but have boomed the area around the motor to be on the safe side.

The decision to dispose of the boat was made following consultation with the owner.

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