Sheltering yacht runs aground in Apollo Bay - new pictures

by Sail-world on 7 Apr 2010 The yacht Addiction, from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, ran aground on Easter Sunday morning in the narrow entrance to Victoria’s Apollo Bay harbour and washed into shallow water and we bring you the pictures.

Richard McGarvie and his Inglis 37 crew were returning from Port Fairy, in 30 knot winds and a rapidly building seaway and they sought shelter.

Senior Constable Michael Fischer said the yacht was heading to St Kilda when it ran into trouble about 8.30am.

'A couple of the crew were feeling sea sick so they attempted an entry into Apollo Bay and the keel has hit the bottom and then they have been hit by an easterly swell which pushed them further into shallow water,' Sen-Constable Fischer said.

'They were able to throw out an anchor to stop drifting further out and they called for help,' he said.

He said ocean rescue workers had to throw a line out to crew on the boat as the sea was too rough to get in close.

Sen-Constable Fischer said three crew members were hauled in before a dinghy from the local Surf Lifesaving Club could get close enough to take the rest to shore.

The entrance to the harbour faces north and has a reputation for being dangerous to enter with an easterly swell. It silts up, particularly on the east side of the entrance.

McGarvie said that after talking to local authorities the decision had been made that the entrance could be safely made as there had been recent dredging. McGarvie reported that the yacht was on the leads when he grounded on the sand and at that point she lost way and was washed into the shallows.

At 1500hrs on Sunday April 4th, she was afloat on the higher tide and inside the breakwater, alongside the quay. The vessel has sustained damage, most notably to the keel bolts that hold the keel to the hull and is to be removed from the water at Apollo Bay for inspection and clarification.

She will most likely be brought back to Melbourne by truck for repairs. As such, the port was considered unsafe by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, who, in conjunction with Bacardi, set about advising other yachts in the area of this fact.