A 12m ferro cement yacht had been beached for an extended period on the western side of Matakana Island. Over time, the vessel had worked its way up the sand bank and was resting with a slight heel toward the island. It was completely beached at low tide and only in 0.5m of water at high tide. Bay Marine Works was engaged by Bay of Plenty Regional Council to remove the yacht.

This was a two day operation to remove the yacht.

Day 1 – Preparation (Mary S)
• Removed surface debris and rigging material around the yacht
• Excavated approximately 300–400 mm sand from around the keel
• Inspected and secured hull integrity and pumped out excess water
• Re-oriented the vessel toward the channel for tow-off alignment‍

Day 2 – Tow Operation (Tumeke, Lady Kay II, and Mary S)
• Established tow connections for Tumeke and Lady Kay II (~250 m lines per vessel)
• Tow commenced on peak high tide within the spring window
• Mary S assisted by pushing from the starboard side to initiate movement

The yacht was removed successfully and was towed to Tauranga Bridge Marina Travelift to be removed from the water.

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