It’s 1430 hours, April 17. Day 17 of Papillon‘s misery. Click here on Saltaire38’s blog for fotos a few hours earlier . . . at high tide, showing Le Papillon awash. Here was Day 10. After yesterday’s blow with gusts over 25 mph, I was curious. So was that mallard, not to inject a canard into this story already rife with them. The most striking change is that
she’s now oriented roughly southward, even somewhat south south west, compared with eastward since I first saw her. Yes, that’s a car in the distance, and low-level sand blowing across the beach.
Furthermore, she’s been sucked down, but surrounded stern to
bow along her both sides with
a fairly deep lagoon.
Thousands of fotos will linger for years, no matter whether she
gets an assisted departure or
a shifting sands burial.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
I’m reminded of this wreck from Tierra del Fuego and southbound650.
Unrelated: since this is the actual tax day, enjoy (or suffer) biankablog’s “accountancy shanty.”
tugster: a waterblog 
14 comments
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April 17, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Mage Bailey
We have seen that happen here. Unless they get her off the beach right away, there she will probably stay. How truly tragic. Have they found a way to get her off?
April 17, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Bill Miller
Le Papillion a cautionary photo expose.
Thanks Will, for chronicling the unfortunate shipwreck of Le Papillion.
Like Zsa Zsa Gabor on a skateboard, the end is near.
It’s 2011, and despite our space age technology, the ocean remains treacherous. We take our small vessels upon the ocean and imagine that we are in control. Hubris.
April 17, 2011 at 6:49 pm
ben
I’d imagine if the owners couldnt afford to get her off right away, then she is staying for good.
April 17, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Allen Baker
A travesty of the first order.
April 17, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Capt. Mike
Will:
Thanks for the chronicle of this tragedy. I keep thinking about that boat and how much it has traveled on the seas of the world and hope it still has better days ahead.
April 18, 2011 at 12:36 am
Joe Herbert
If she is not holed getting her off is simply a matter of horsepower, she is, if I recall earlier posts, steel hulled and framed, run a sufficent cable at least 6″ through her mast frames and keel to the deck, then out to the six fathom line, anchor and buoy it, pump her dry, seal her (she’ll go on beams end as she’s pulled into the water), once she’s afloat, convert to the winch and bring her out, anchor her, and rerig the tow for hauling to the repair yard.
Moran, McAllister or Rehinaur could do this in their sleep, probably for under 20K as a tow, or a third of the value all standing under lloyds rule.
April 18, 2011 at 5:21 am
tugster
joe–thanks for your experience-informed opinion on this.
April 20, 2011 at 9:33 pm
edward myers
why would you need a 6″ cable to tow a 40,000 lb boat.
April 18, 2011 at 5:06 am
jeannette StG
So sad to see this! Do you know what the real story is? (because there were rumors). Thanks for sharing this:)
April 18, 2011 at 8:11 am
Update: Le Papillon and the Sands of Fire Island : Old Salt Blog – a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea
[…] on Fire Island, a barrier island off Long Island, northeast of the entrance to New York harbor. Will van Dorp at the Tugster blog has taken some amazing photographs of the schooner, first being battered by waves and now being […]
April 18, 2011 at 8:58 am
TIM Robison
She is a lost cause now – she is filled with water and probably sand as well. She is digging her own grave in the sand, so either she can be left to bury here self or dug out, but she is alas, done.
April 20, 2011 at 9:29 pm
edward myers
looking at this pic i believe that of you anchor her nose out to sea and pump her out you could probably tow her off at the next high tide without a 6″ cable wrapped around her actually if her anchor winch has a hand crank you could pull her off with it it was pretty huge if you could get her floating nose out she migfht even walk off the beach if you keep tension on the anchor road it appears that she moved out from furtherst point up the beach, and if you can get her bouyant enough you can get the sand out over a few tide cycles aslong as she has no holes and is kept pointing out to sea
April 22, 2011 at 12:42 pm
French Student
A silly question – but why is she Le Papillion and not La Papillion?
April 22, 2011 at 9:27 pm
tugster
gender is somewhat arbitrarily assigned with romance language words. “papillon” (which means butterfly) is masculine, “table” feminine, wall . .. masculine, and … if i might be blunt, vaginas are masculine in french. i know it makes no sense, but neither does it make anatomical sense to call vessels “she” in english. hope that helps.