Sunken luxury yacht in Lyme’s Hamburg Cove considered potential pollution threat

Feb. 14--A 53-foot luxury yacht that sank in a cove just off the Connecticut River in Lyme in late January is scheduled to be raised by a salvage crew next week, which will come as a relief to environmentalists worried about fuel leakage from the vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard and state officials have been checking the sunken sailing yacht on a daily basis since it went down in Lyme's Hamburg Cove. They say there is no evidence that diesel fuel from the sailing yacht's tanks has leaked.

Hamburg Cove lies at the point where the Eight Mile River flows into the Connecticut River. It is considered a key spawning ground and fisheries area for yellow perch, carp and catfish, according to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection experts. Bald eagles also use that area to hunt for fish and there are several eagle nesting sites nearby.

"That's a pristine area," said Mark Yuknat, owner-captain of the "eco-tour" boat RiverQuest and Connecticut River Expeditions in Essex, of Hamburg Cove and the Eight Mile River. Yuknat and his wife, Mindy, are currently running eagle watching tours along the stretch of the Connecticut River that runs past Hamburg Cove.

Yuknat and other environmentalists have been concerned about potential leaks from the boat since it sank Jan. 26 to 27.

"I do feel that boat should be gotten out of there as soon as possible," Yuknat said, warning that several fish species that need the cove area are due to migrate up the river from Long Island Sound in the next few weeks.

The sunken yacht, named Mazu is owned by Essex resident Gil Johnson and his wife Maureen, according to local officials, business owners and area residents. Johnson failed to respond to repeated requests for an interview for this story.

Boating enthusiasts commenting on yachting forums online were appalled that the expensive 53-foot sailing vessel, built in 1987 and known as a "Little Harbor yacht," was exposed to the harsh winter weather at its mooring in Hamburg Cove and allowed to sink. Scores of yacht owners claimed the vessel should never have been left in open water to be trapped by ice.

A similar Little Harbor yacht built the same year is currently being advertised for sale online for nearly $500,000.

"It's just a beautiful sailboat," said Frank DiNardi, a professional photographer from the area who happened to shoot drone videos of the Mazu before and after it sank. DiNardi posted his shots online and the videos went viral. He said his Facebook post received almost 200,000 views.

"I couldn't believe it," DiNardi said.

He said he also photographed the Mazu last summer at its Hamburg Cove mooring simply because it was such a lovely boat. DiNardi has also posted shots of the Mazu on YouTube and on his website, Franksskysights.com.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Alaina Fagan of the USCG station in New Haven said there is no way to know what caused the boat to sink until it is salvaged. The yacht is sitting in about 10 feet of water with its tall mast exposed above the surface of the cove.

"We know it wasn't crushed by the ice," said Lyme Harbor Master Tom Reynolds. Reynolds said there are many possible explanations of why the boat sank, including frozen or cracked fittings such as a bilge pump.

Reynolds said local fire department volunteers made an attempt to stop the Mazu from sinking on Jan. 26 but nightfall halted the operation and the boat was completely under water by the next day.

Fagan said the yacht is believed to have 80 to 100 gallons of diesel fuel still in its tank. "There have been no signs of pollution," Fagan said last week. She said the Coast Guard was informed on Jan. 26 that the Mazu was trapped in the ice and taking on water, that the vessel was reported sunk on Jan. 27, and that officials have been monitoring the boat as a "potential pollution threat" ever since.

Whatever the cause of its sinking, raising and repairing the Mazu is going to be an expensive proposition. One salvage expert, Richard Marquardt of Narragansett, R.I., estimated that it will cost the owner or his insurance company $15,000 to $20,000 just to bring the vessel to the surface and get it to a boatyard.

"That's a very special boat," Marquardt said, saying he has a number of clients for his mooring business that own similar yachts. Marquardt said boats like the Mazu are often hauled out and stored during the winter, but that others are kept in the water but at a dock for protection.

"I would never have left it on a mooring," Marquardt said. "If you leave it out there, it's exposed to all the bad weather, ice and everything."

The boat's engine will need to be flushed, according to Marquardt. "And all the electronics and wiring need to be replaced," he added, saying there could also be damage to the yacht's woodwork and other fittings.

Marquardt said Johnson initially contacted him about raising the Mazu, but that he referred Johnson to another salvage outfit in Groton.

Fagan said Shoreline Diving Services, based in the Noank section of Groton, is currently expected to attempt to raise the Mazu Monday or Tuesday. A spokesman for the salvage firm declined to comment, saying the boat's owner asked him not to talk to the media about the boat.

According to Fagan, the Mazu was federally registered in January 2019 not long before it sank and its home port was listed as Newport, R.I. But boating registration officials in that state say they have no record of any Rhode Island registration and the yacht is not registered in Connecticut.

Gregory B. Hladky can be reached at ghladky@courant.com.

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