A 55-foot motor yacht that has been grounded on Ocracoke Island’s South Point for more than two weeks is floating again, after the Vivens Aqua was successfully moved back into the water on Wednesday.
The vessel owned by a Salisbury, Maryland couple washed ashore in the early morning hours of January 25, and several attempts to pull it back into the water were unsuccessful.
Scott Pumphrey, a retired Baltimore police lieutenant, has remained on board his boat since it washed ashore.
The Ocracoke Observer reported a change of tactics began over the weekend, as Crum Works of Buxton was contracted to use inflatable bags, known as pins, and an excavator to slowly roll the water towards the Pamlico Sound side of the southern tip of the island where deeper, calmer water was available.
The boat was finally pulled into the water and towed to Silver Lake Harbor around midday on Wednesday. After making sure the Vivens Aqua was seaworthy, the vessel will then be towed to a boat yard in Morehead City for repairs.
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