The latest victim of the Graveyard of the Atlantic still sits on the beach near Ocracoke’s South Point, while efforts to free the grounded 55-foot motor yacht continue.
The National Park Service said Friday the U.S. Coast Guard will oversee the removal of fuel oil from the Vivens Aqua in the coming days, in hopes of making it lighter and easier to tow.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore will work together with U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina and the owner of the vessel to consider the most appropriate removal methods after the fuel oil is removed, according to a news release.
Meanwhile, TowBoatUS crews from Morehead City have tried unsuccessfully since Wednesday to pull the boat owned by a Baltimore couple off the beach.
The company has dispatched several larger boats to try and get the yacht freed with this afternoon’s high tide.
The Ocracoke Observer reported Scott and Karen Pumphrey were enroute from Florida to Maryland after purchasing the yacht earlier this month when they ran aground early Tuesday. Scott has stayed on board the vessel ever since.