COURTESY U.S. COAST GUARD / NOV. 25
Chief Petty Officer Joseph Alton, a member of the Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team, provides safety oversight for salvors ahead of morning surveys, welding and patch work on the grounded Pacific Paradise off Kaimana Beach.
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The Coast Guard spent Monday continuing to shore up the stranded Pacific Paradise in preparation for possible removal on Wednesday.
The 79-foot, 191-ton fishing boat has been stuck on a reef about 100 yards off Kaimana Beach since just before midnight Oct. 10. Ocean and weather conditions, the mass of the partially submerged vessel, and concerns for the reef have complicated efforts to tow the boat out to sea for disposal.
On Monday, salvors sealed off the vessel’s fish hold to prevent water from entering it through the engine room.
Crews had previously filled the vessel’s 20 compartments with buoyant foam, which will help lift the boat off the reef once excess water is removed.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Sara Muir said salvors will continue preparing the boat today with tentative plans to take advantage of the Wednesday morning high tide.