Fishing boat still grounded near Bodega Bay, as crews remove fuel

Crews began pumping diesel fuel from the Aleutian Storm Tuesday, taking advantage of low tide to access fuel tanks on the grounded fishing boat.

But a Coast Guard spokeswoman said there had been no advancement of plans to remove the vessel from south Salmon Creek Beach after three unsuccessful attempts to tow it out to open water failed Monday and Sunday.

The 58-foot, San Francisco-based vessel reportedly grounded in rough weather late Friday while the crew was headed to Bodega Harbor to refuel.

It has taken on substantial amounts of water since then, Coast Guard Lt. Natasha Kenney said. Water weight would add resistance to future efforts to tow it free of the beach near Bodega Bay.

In earlier attempts, a tugboat crew sent north from San Francisco on Sunday tried twice to pull it from the shoreline, only to have the line snap, Kenney said. A heavier line deployed Monday became detached.

The 57-ton steel vessel is listing profoundly to one side, with waves crashing over the side, making it dangerous to board, Kenney said. But the boat moves less at low tide, offering an opportunity for salvage crews to locate the fuel tanks and begin vacuuming diesel to receptacles on the beach.

The crew and captain, Chris Fox, initially estimated about 1,500 gallons were on board, Kenney said.

It wasn’t clear how much fuel was removed from the vessel Tuesday morning, but it wasn’t all of it. A team was expected to head out again at the first low tide Wednesday to try to move more fuel on shore, Lt. Chris Payne said.

He and Kenney said discussions about removing the boat itself were still underway and would be addressed after the risk of pollution is resolved.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan (she/her) at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @MaryCallahanB.