Since the high-profile sinking of the 122-foot-long yacht Lovebug at the mouth of the West River, everyone has been wondering how and when the yacht will be raised and moved.
Salvage activity is underway, later than expected due to logistical challenges and some delays related to Tropical Storm Debby.
Boaters in the area will have noticed a crane and barge, pumping bottom materials from around the Lovebug, along with water being pumped out. Donjon Marine Co. of New York and New Jersey is leading the salvage operation. The yacht has been slowly sinking into the river bottom, making it increasingly difficult to raise it. That’s why Donjon has had to do some digging before divers can position straps around the boat’s hull to raise it.
Bay photographer David Sites captured this video of the large operation underway:
A second, larger barge will do the actual lift of the yacht. Salvors had hoped to raise the Lovebug before Tropical Storm Debby’s remnants hit the Bay, but equipment couldn’t be moved into position in time. Unfortunately, the storm’s strong wind and tides shifted the yacht further into the bottom.
TowBoatUS Annapolis has been at the site of the wreck since moments after the yacht sunk on July 27. After Captain Aras Grinius rescued all five of the people on board one by one, TowBoatUS remained on the scene providing 24/7 security, stopping potential scavengers and working through the night for more than three weeks.
TowBoatUS has also handled environmental cleanup, establishing a boom around the yacht and replacing sorbent booms in the weeks that followed the sinking. The service has also been responsible for recovering debris, from a floating refrigerator to sofa cushions that washed up on Beverly Triton Beach.
Prior to its unfortunate sinking, the privately owned Lovebug was available for high-dollar luxury charters. According to a previous broker’s listing for the boat, the Lovebug is an Italian boat built by Sanlorenzo in 2010 and updated in 2017. It sleeps 11 guests in five staterooms and can accommodate seven or eight crewmembers. It boasts zero speed stabilizers, a flybridge sundeck with Jacuzzi, tender/jet ski garage, and a full-beam master stateroom with a full bean master bath and owner’s office.
Chesapeake Bay Magazine will continue to monitor progress in the yacht’s salvage.
