Sailing boat stranded on Norderney salvaged without any problems
The sailing boat that ran aground on the island of Norderney and became a tourist attraction has been salvaged. Employees of a specialist company loaded the "Wibo" onto a trailer at low tide and brought it close to the island harbor, as a photographer reported to the German Press Agency. Pictures show how the ship was attached to an excavator.
On Monday, a 70-year-old sailor ran aground on the island's western beach with his boat "Wibo", which was no longer maneuverable. Since then, the ship had attracted numerous tourists.
The sailing boat, which the man had built himself, threatened to damage the coastal protection. As it is storm surge season, it could have washed up even further. The boat has a defective engine, a broken anchor and a damaged rudder. It was not possible to tow it out to sea.
A private initiative of islanders is collecting donations to cover the costs of repairing the ship. They have published an appeal on the Facebook platform.
However, it is not yet clear what will happen to the sailor from Freiburg. He has been living on the beach on his ship for the past few days. "He is physically unharmed, but a little stressed because of the many onlookers," said an island spokeswoman on Thursday. Before his abrupt stop on Norderney, he had sailed from Hooksiel near Cuxhaven to Spiekeroog and Juist, among other places.
The vibrant colors of the sailor's colorful sailboat initially attracted numerous tourists after it ran ag ground on Norderney's western beach. Despite the boat's condition with a broken anchor, defective engine, and damaged rudder, shipping the boat back to sea was not an option due to its state. The sailboat's repair costs are being covered through an emergency appeal on the Facebook platform by a group of local islanders.
Source: www.dpa.com
