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It was
Saturday morning, September 7, 2013. Fred Cooley, aged 74, was returning from
four years at sea. He was travelling west on the NYS Erie Canal. He was just a
few days from his home port of Buffalo, NY. Suddenly, Fred sent out a MAYDAY
distress call.
Fred had
just hit the center support pier of an abandoned railroad bridge (E 97) between
Clyde and Lyons. NY. His sailboat, named Boudica, a 38 foot Bavaria Ocean, was
suddenly sinking. Fred and his friend Dick quickly grabbed a few supplies, moved
onto his nearby dinghy, and quickly “cut the cord” loose from the sinking
vessel! Almost magically, suddenly appearing on the scene were Nick and
Allison, owner operators of Lockview Marina on Cayuga Lake. They assisted Fred
and Dick onto their craft. Nick and
Allison “just happened” to be nearby on the Canal waters as they returned from
Buffalo!
No one was
hurt in the accident, but in a few minutes, the sailboat was 99 percent under
water. Apparently the sailboat had scraped a corner of the support pier and
then caught an extending railroad rail (iron) used years ago as extra support
when the concrete was originally poured. It would take five days to float the sailboat
enough to move it from the canal channel and tow it to the Lyons Drydock Area.
Floating the
sailboat was no easy task. Underwater
divers repaired the ruptured hole. Divers sawed off the metal rail. Many
buoyancy bags were placed under the boat and then inflated. A 15 ton boat full
of water is not easy to lift. Eventually, the salvage crew climbed onto the
abandoned railroad bridge far above the submerged boat and dropped a chain with
an attached block and tackle. The chain was attached under the bow of the boat,
and with effort, it began to rise. As
water was pumped from the submerged boat, and it began to float even more, the
salvage crew watched carefully- once a boat begins to float, pumping water from
the wrong chambers can cause the sailboat to topple.
As fog began
to visit the canal and darkness settled on day five, the boat was slowly towed
toward Lyons. The boat, with no working steering mechanism, moved eerily from
side to side in the channel. Finally, under “cover” of night, the boat arrived
at the Lyons dock for the evening.
As Chris Martin,
salvage director and diver from Constantia looked at the floating sailboat he
remarked, “This was the most challenging and most isolated job in my 18 years
of salvage and rescue”.
On Saturday
morning, September 14, 2013, one week from the initial sinking, the boat was
truly raised. At daybreak, a huge crane
from Auburn Crane and Rigging arrived at the Canal Corporation Drydock area
just below Lock E 28 A. Nick and Allison also arrived, but this time they were
driving a huge transport truck. In a few
hours, the sailboat was hoisted from the Erie Canal and placed on the Lockview
Marina Low-Boy. The boat was secured, the mast was attached, and soon the boat
was moving towards its final destination, Buffalo, New York.
The Lyons
Fire Department and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department responded to the
initial distress call. During the past week, special support and assistance was
provided by the NYS Canal Corporation, under the direction of Dan Craine,
Section Superintendent.
In retrospect, no fuel oil was spilled into
the canal, no one was hurt, rescue was just a few moments away, and no lives
were lost. But…, two sailboat crashes into the same pier in 14 days does seem
kinda eerie for the Erie Canal!
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Income Trading Method Said,
wonder how many boats were sunk in the Erie canal?
Posted on Wed Dec 31, 06:08:00 PM EST
Unknown Said,
this boat is now for sale in ST Pete FL FOR $100000....
Posted on Mon Sep 06, 12:38:00 PM EDT