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Wrightsville Beach
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sunken sailboat in Banks Channel creates boating hazard; Coast Guard searching for owner

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Wrightsville Beach officials and the U.S. Coast Guard are still working to identify the owner of a sailboat that sank in Bank Channel over the weekend and poses a hazard to boaters.

On Tuesday, the town was considering sending a free diver down to look for the boat’s identification number in an effort to find the owner. Both town and Coast Guard officials said they believe the boat was unoccupied when it sank.

Officials aren’t sure when the boat sank but believe it was Sunday afternoon or evening. It was reported Monday morning to the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department, which reported it to the Coast Guard at about 11 a.m.

The sailboat is underwater in Banks Channel, south of where it intersects with Motts Channel, near marker no. 15. Part of the boat’s stern and mast are protruding from the water. The Coast Guard said the boat is a navigation hazard, but poses no other dangers to boaters.

Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Tim Owens said the Coast Guard is issuing an advisory to commercial boating traffic and that the boat is far enough outside the channel that it probably won’t interfere with most recreational boating.

Wrightsville Beach Fire Chief Glen Rogers said the boat was believed to have been anchored at the location for several days. Owens added that it had not been at the location long enough to come in violation of the town’s anchoring ordinance, which restricts boats to mooring or anchoring for no more than 30 consecutive days in the same spot.

“There are abandoned boats in all of the waters of North Carolina,” Owens said. “But we have no reason to believe this boat was abandoned.”

Once identified, it will be the boat owner’s responsibility to salvage the vessel, Owens and Coast Guard officials said.  To try to find the identification number, members of the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue team may be called to free dive around the site to inspect the boat. Owens said he would welcome any information from the public that could help determine the identity and location of the owner.

There is no indication as to why the boat sank, Owens said, noting that heavy rain on Saturday could have contributed to the sinking, and that faulty equipment, like a malfunctioning bilge pump, is another likely possibility.

If the owner is not eventually found, or is unable or unwilling to salvage the boat, there is a process in which the boat wreck site can be declared open for salvage. Then, a local boat salvage operation could raise the boat and use the wreckage for commercial purposes.

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