Stuck trawler had eventful trip

KIAWAH ISLAND — A 77-foot scallop trawler that's been stuck in the sand for a week is likely to stay there at least several more days, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Friday.

Residents seem assured the odd intruder on the eastern edge of their island paradise presents no immediate threat, and have in fact become fascinated by it, Kiawah Island Enforcement Officer Rusty Lameo said.

"It's not an environmental hazard," Lameo said, noting the containment efforts of the Coast Guard, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and Charleston Marine Services. "Of course, anything that appears on the beach becomes a curiosity. People want to go out and see it and stand by it and get their picture taken."

About eight years ago, a 52-foot ocean cruiser hung up on the sand bars and remained there for about two weeks, Lameo said.

The trawler Nanami is beached on the eastern edge of the island, well behind the security gate. Nearby houses are several hundred yards from the water.

Like a beached whale, this vessel can't be moved out to sea until the tide comes in enough to lift it. That won't happen until at least Tuesday, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Eric King said.

Meanwhile, workers siphoned off fuel and built a containment barrier around the boat. The Coast Guard will bill the owners for the cost of getting the vessel back in the water, King said.

The trawler washed up on the beach Nov. 14 after its anchor chain broke the night before. The boat had already been in trouble several times as it limped down the East Coast.

The captain and a crewman started out sometime last month from New Jersey. They were heading down to Rockville to be retrofitted for fishing, according to the Coast Guard.

The captain is Greg Cooper, 52, of Cape May. He's staying in the Charleston area while the boat is put back to sea, according to the Coast Guard.

The crewman was Nora Kim, 47, of Pennsauken. He went back to New Jersey to join his daughter, Mary Kim, who owns the trawler.

They had not gone far before the Coast Guard ordered them to pull into Lewes, Del., to clean up the boat before proceeding, according to a story in the Cape Gazette, the local newspaper. They stayed about a week and left Nov. 1. Mayor Jim Ford told the Gazette the crew left without paying the docking fees and also destroyed a piling on their way out. City officials could not be reached Friday afternoon.

When Cooper and Kim pulled out of Lewes, they took with them a homeless refugee from New Orleans who had been featured in the Gazette a few days earlier, witnesses told the news-paper there.

Three days later, the trawler broke down off Cape Hatteras, N.C. The Coast Guard Cutters Vigorous and Block Island spent the better part of two days towing it to Southport, N.C., Lt. Scott McCrew with Coast Guard Sector North Carolina said.

The trawler's next notable stop was Georgetown, where they dropped off the homeless woman, Coast Guard Lt. Jg. Jim Litzinger said.

Charleston Marine Services plans to dig a trench around the boat Monday to get it ready to float, according to Terry Yarborough, DHEC's emergency response coordinator. "I've dealt with quite a few sinking vessels in my day, but this is the most bizarre," he said.

Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  2 comment(s)