After being abandoned in the North Atlantic in May, a 36-foot ketch washed ashore on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, on July 10, 2013. The boat, named Running Free, had a tattered jib, but its main and mizzen sails appeared secured to their booms. The vessel's owner, Bill Heldenbrand, who reportedly was an inexperienced offshore sailor, was attempting to cross the Atlantic when he ran into bad weather and was taken off by a AMVER participating tanker in mid-ocean.
According to Mark Alan Lovewell reporting for the Martha's Vineyard Gazette, initial efforts to remove the boat from the beach failed, but a second try will be attempted. There were also reports of people climbing aboard the boat and looting equipment.
This boat on the beach is a testament to the toughness of modern voyaging boats. They can take plenty of punishment and stay afloat. And find their own way to landfall!
