"The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea."
FRIDAY APRIL 29, FRANK MARKUS REPORTS:
My pictures can be found here: Frank's Pics.
The boat is now in front of the old Kismet firehouse on the Burma Road outside Kismet.
As you will see in the pictures, they brought a big bulldozer and an excavator (the steam shovel-like vehicle.) The owner made a deal with the people who removed the boat, giving them money -- and the boat. So he was not in Saltaire to see the boat dragged away.
After the boat was gone, I spoke to one of the people who removed the boat. He told me that the bulldozer had been too aggressive in pushing the boat out of the sand which resulted in serious hull damage. Although he will try to sell the boat, it seems unlikely now. I don't know that the decision has been taken, but it seems more likely than not that the boat will be cut up in Kismet and then trucked off in pieces.
Don't forget to keep an eye on the comments (or leave one). Look what you could be missing!
Harry Baker told me a week or two ago that moving the boat with a bulldozer would work - no question that the 'dozer could move it - the only problem was that there would be the likelihood that they'd damage the hull during the process. Guess that Harry has been proved right.
April 29, 2011 8:34 PM
Thanks for those great photos Frank. As I was looking at them I thought, " does not look like a great idea to pull the dozer up along side and try to push but they probably know what they are doing" ... maybe not.
April 29, 2011 9:45 PM
Thank you for the news, and for that amazing sequence of photos! Much appreciated by those watching this sad situation from afar.
April 30, 2011 6:53 AM
frank . . . glad you were there to document this. great pics.
April 30, 2011 7:08 AM