The Triton – Nautical news for captains and crews
Click on the link above to see more pictures and the whole report from Capt. Tom Serio
Phone calls to government officials and others involved with the recovery were not returned in the past two months so, in late November, I flew over Legacy to find out her status. She is still in the marine sanctuary just north of Key West, where she was deposited by Hurricane Wilma two years ago a few dozen yards from Bluefish Channel.
The latest recovery process of pulling her out the way she went in has freed her from the bottom and continues. Originally speculated in early September to take three weeks, pulling Legacy to deep water has so far taken three months, with probably several more to go.
This current recovery process (others have been tried but failed) includes creating a channel in front of Legacy by removing the sandy bottom using an auger and pump. The sand is then relocated aft as the yacht moves forward. A series of cables connected to her hull run along the initial path of entry cut in the sea grass (almost a mile long), out to a utility boat, the Helen B. Legacy is pulled several feet at a time by the utility vessel.
Search on this blog for “Mega-yacht” to see more articles on this ongoing sea saga.