Derelict boats are getting pulled from Beaufort River mud months after Helene
Enjoying the incredible views of the Beaufort River from Bay Street in Beaufort is a daily experience for locals and visitors alike.
But a curious crowd of onlookers were drawn to the shore Wednesday and Thursday evening to witness a rarity: The extrication of several beached sailboats that have been intruding on the views of the river and irritating homeowners and the city for seven months.
Taxpayers are footing the bill for the removal of two of the five vessels that will eventually be hauled away over the next several days and beyond.
It’s no run-of-the-mill job. Besides the number of boats involved, O’Quinn Marine, the marine contractor tasked with removing the boats, must maneuver its own vessels in the muddy shallows to even reach them, at the risk of the rescuers getting stuck.
The high-profile extraction is playing out before an audience.
On Wednesday evening, a few people set up lawn chairs on the bluff overlooking the river where they had a front-row seat to watch the boat show. Even more showed up Thursday night to watch as Duncan O’Quinn and his crew, working with the tides and fighting the mud, brought in a heavyweight to assist: a massive barge carrying an equally large crane, necessary to muscle the larger sailboats from their muddy resting places. “Push boats,” which are not powerful enough to move the larger sailboats, had been used up to that point to remove the smaller vessels.
The goal heading into the job, which began at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, was to remove all five of the boats that remain spread across the shoreline, taking advantage of the new moon and the high tides to reach the derelict rigs and haul them away, O’Quinn said before the work began.
“If the tide comes up, and the Lord’s willin’, we will,” O’Quinn said.
As of Thursday evening, four of the five boats had been extracted and O’Quinn was working on removing the fifth and final boat.
Preparations were done in advance, including parking the big barge several feet from shore and placing ropes on the vessels so they could be pulled or hoisted from the shoreline.
High tide was at 6 p.m. Wednesday and by that time O’Quinn’s crew had already grabbed two of the smaller vessels from the grassy shoreline using a push boat, which huffed and puffed and spat mud and water in the shallowest locations. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will dispose of the boats in the landfill, O’Quinn says.
Shelby Vido and her two children were among the small crowd that showed up to watch. Joseph Allen Vido, Vido’s husband, is a member of the O’Quinn crew.
“We like to come watch Dad when we can,” Shelby said.
The show got more interesting Thursday when the barge and crane were called into action. Wide yellow straps encompassed one 35-foot sailboat. Creaks and bumps from the force of the crane lifting the heavy vessel rang out across the river. When it finally swung free, somebody yelled, “Woohoo!”
Tropical storm Helene tore the boats from their moorings at the Beaufort Marina in September and they’ve remained beached ever since, polluting the city’s scenic vista that’s a draw for downtown visitors, as well as the backyard to homeowners living along Bay Street and Ribaut Road.
Abandoned or derelict vessels are a chronic problem in South Carolina’s waterways with removal taking months and sometimes years, as the Beaufort homeowners can attest.
Current law requires a lengthy process just to determine if a boat is abandoned, says DNR’s Lt. Charlotte McKee. If the owner can be found, they are ultimately responsible. But many boats are never legally transferred to their current owners, making it challenging to identify the responsible parties. Current laws, McKee adds, are outdated, requiring a minimum of 90 days of investigation before any action can be taken and providing no funding for removal.
DNR often works with private organizations and local government agencies to streamline the removal process and reduces costs.
That’s what is happening in the case of the Beaufort boats.
Duncan Quinn said he’s receiving $20,000 from the city of Beaufort to move two of the larger sailboats. O’Quinn Marine is footing the bill to remove the other three vessels, he said. For the the past eight years, the company has been assisting DNR pro bono in removing abandoned and derelict boats.
“There’s nobody else to help,” said O’Quinn. “Nobody wants to do anything. I have the equipment. I have the facilities. It just helps them out.”
DNR is supporting a new bill proposed by state Sen. Chip Campsen of Charleston aimed at streamlining the process that also would allocate funding for the removal of boats, McKee said.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
