Phuket Marine Office Director Wiwat Chitchertwong told The Phuket News this morning (Oct 25) that the boat owner contacted the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC) for assistance yesterday after the yacht had drifted off anchor and was slowly pushed onshore.
The request urged that action be taken quickly to prevent irreparable damage to the boat.
A copy of the written report of the request provided to The Phuket News did not name the owner or identify the yacht.
“I don’t have the details of the boat or the owner’s name and nationality. I received an official report confirming that person had been injured in the incident. That’s all,” Mr Wiwat said.
Mr Wiwat explained that by the time he arrived at Nai Harn Beach in person, the yacht had already been safely recovered.
“It was moved from the beach at about 9am. A local fishing boat used a rope to pull the boat back out to deeper water while tourists and other people helped to push it off the beach,” he said.
“The boat now has been removed. There is nothing dangerous on the beach anymore. There is nothing to worry about. It was just an accident,” Mr Wiwat said.
Mr Wiwat did not confirm how much damage the boat has sustained or where it was towed to for safety, though videos posted online of the boat being recovered showed the boat did suffer at least a broken mast.
Brent McInnes of the Phuket Cruising Yacht Club (click here), who is often involved in such salvage operations confirmed the boat is called “Ola” and is owned by a Russian expat in Phuket.
Mr McInnes also gave high praise to the skipper of the Thai trawler that towed the boat off the beach and the people who lent a hand giving the boat a shove off the sand.
“The driver of the Thai trawler did an outstanding job, as did the people on the beach,” he said.
“They were two hours into a falling tide when they got the boat off the beach. If the boat was stuck there one more night it could have easily breached and filled with sand – and that would have been a real problem,” he added.