White Cloud

Hi,

She is the old New Horizon L and did a lot of mileage under that Owner, she is now under her second Owner from new- not bad for a classic boat like this.

I saw her about 3 weeks ago entering St. Michaels while we were departing.

Darn was in the hospital and didn't get to drive in and see her, oh well some other time.

I was watching the video feed from Ft. Lauderdale today, and as near as I can tell, White Cloud got herself good and stuck in the ICW.

Had a couple of tow boats working with her, churning up a lot of the bottom, and drawing a bit of a crowd. Ultimately they got her berthed in front of Pegasus, across from Seven Seas.

I'm sure there's a good story associated with this.......

I saw it too. It took two Towboat US guys to pull her free. It took them near 30 minutes of pulling. She then backed down to a hotel or something like that and docked.

It appeared she was in the center of the channel, but I really could not tell by the Video.

If you go to Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions you can see her track and where she got stuck.

Ken

Based on another video that I saw it looks like they might have taken this little trek in order to launch the helicopter.... OR..... they decided to launch the heli after they got stuck in order to lighten the load.

Dunno.

I'm not a huge fan of chat rooms but thought this was worth following up on.
I am the current Captain of "White Cloud" so can shed some light on the events being discussed. Whilst the finite details will remain confidential, due to our NDA's, I can confirm that the yacht came fast on the ground after heli-ops had been completed. We were central to the channel of the ICW and the depth should have given me a UKC of 0.5m. Due to silting, it was obvious that this was reduced. Tide was falling hence why we did not founder moving up the channel, only when backing down.
The effects of squat exaggerated the situation, and whilst we were starting to maneuver under our own engines, I made the decision to attach tugs to assist in order to make sure we were free before the tide dropped further.
We kept the tugs connected until we were safely alongside, and now I use them as 'cheap insurance' every time we move within the ICW
We had Lloyds divers' check out the keel and props with no damage sustained.
As for White Cloud, the current Owner is having a great time with her; she's in fantastic shape for her age and a pleasure to be involved with.

Hello bc1107. Welcome to YachtForums! It's good to hear the straight scoop, right from the source. Thanks. I think the characterization of this forum as a "chat room" is perhaps a tad bit harsh, but I understand your meaning.

I have run aground two times in the last ten years.

Thankfully both of the groundings were soft groundings that I was able to get off on my own power without damage to the boat.

The only thing damaged was my ego and a ding in one of the wheels.

Both times it was my fault, I was responsible, I was operating the boat, I wrongly thought there was enough water under the boat.

My boat, my fault, my responsibility......

Bc1107,

Thank you for sharing the info you could. It's always nice to have some insight for those of us that weren't there. Good plan on the cheap insurance.

Glad the owners are enjoying a beautiful classic and that it's a good job. Nice to hear stories like that.

Cheers

bc1107,

Welcome to YF. I'm not a fan of chat rooms either. They are typically frivolous in nature. And unlike a few forums that are littered with brainless banter, the majority of our members are captains, engineers and owners who exchange useful, relevant information. On that note, your previous employer is a member here and was active a few years ago.

You can officially slap the bumper sticker on the stern now...

Groundings Happen!