A cabin cruiser that sank early Sunday morning in the Haines Harbor was raised Tuesday by a Juneau-based marine salvage company.
The 32-foot Newfie’s Dream, tied up against the harbor’s fuel float, swamped after snow loads apparently caused it to list to its port side, said Dan Sprague, a partner in Southeast Underwater Services.
“The bilge pump seemed to be working,” Sprague said, ruling out a common cause for such accidents. Instead, it appears the vessel listed to below its gunwhales, he said.
The vessel is owned by Kevin Brewer, a Canadian who was in Mexico at the time of the accident. Interim harbormaster Gabe Thomas said Brewer had arranged to have a person watch the vessel, but it’s not clear that individual was around when wet, heavy snow lowered several moored vessels on Feb. 11.
Sprague said his crew of three raised the boat in about four hours Tuesday, using four inflatable bladders secured to the boat’s underside and a pump. They were unable to work Monday due to winds, he said.
Thomas said the fiberglass boat has been moored in Haines about two years and hasn’t been taken out of the harbor often.