Authorities gave Jeff Sutton until today, Monday 18 May, to remove his yacht from the shoreline at Belongil or face its destruction and likely $220,000 in fines.
But Byron Shire locals have been helping the otherwise hapless skipper, with a former specialist salvage operator offering his services for free and online crowd funder having raised around $11,000 by Monday morning.
Mr Sutton said the crowdfunder was targeting $14,000 to help pay for repairs after the boat was likely transported to a slip in the Tweed Shire.
Boom bust and bungee break
He told Bay FM’s Community Newsroom last week he had run into trouble at sea when the boom of his yacht broke off the NSW coastline earlier this month before dangerous weather forced him to seek shelter in Byron Bay.
Mr Sutton was trying to arrange departure when the bungee rope tethering the boat broke and authorities informed him it had washed up.
State and local authorities said he was liable for fines if he didn’t remove it by today, as well as the prospect of authorities breaking it apart.
Retiree postpones surgery to help rescue yacht
But soon after the story of his misadventure reached local social media and newsrooms, he received a call from a retired marine salvage and construction diver.
The man owned and operated a global salvage company for decades, Mr Sutton said, and came out of retirement to help remove Wyuna 1.
‘He was to go and have an operation on Wednesday, he deferred that,’ Mr Sutton told CN reporter Emma Setterfied-Smith.
‘His wife said, “you don’t want to do this job,” and he said, “no, I don’t, I have to do this job”’, the skipper said.
‘He is going to manage and oversee this operation and he is organising everything, free of charge.’
Listen back to the full interview here.
*Mia Armitage is the Community Newsroom EP and a Bay FM member
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