Yavaros Salvage Operation Day 1

Wednesday a.m.
I started this post last night, Tuesday and for some reason thought it was Wednesday. I did post yesterday......Brain is getting fuzzy I guess - too much sun. So just ignore the next sentence.
Late getting todays post out. Thought I'd done one this morning - oh well guess not. We went back to Yavaros to watch again and spent a good part of the day there. I took so many pictures and videos it’s taking me a long time to decide which ones to post. So here goes pictures and narative from yesterday. Just the highlights - I took lots and lots of pictures.
As we got to the part of Yavaros where the fishing fleet docks we saw something interesting. During hurricane Lisa in 1976 several ships were destroyed and they’ve just sat half in and half out of the water since then.

One of the sunken ships

Now a salvage crew was taking them out or I should say trying to take them out. Parts of one of the wrecks they already have out.

Supposedly according to a guy Bill was talking to the harbor is going to be enlarged, a new Malecón will be built as will a hotel.  We ended up staying there quite a while watching. Very interesting to watch. OSHA would have had a fit – as the pictures will show – no protective gear on the men. I saw one pair of mismatched gloves that they shared. The water is quite cold and the rocks slippery. And the wreck itself is all rusted and rotted metal.

 

Cables were attached to the sunken hulk and to a big hook on the crane.

The cranes hook rose pulling on the cables the back wheels of the crane rose off the ground. The wreck didn’t move.

Then the cables snapped. Everyone ran as the cables flew and the crane slammed down on the ground.

Checking it out and trying to figure out what to do next

For a long while - the boss stayed on dry land giving instructions. He is the guy in the dark blue shirtwith the light colored cap on.

Oops the boss finally had to get wet.

More time spent in the water by the men reattaching cables and hooking up one end of a huge chain to the wreck and the other to a big yellow bulldozer.

Thats a big chain!

The crane raised its hook, the dozer revved its engine black smoke pouring out of it exhaust it pulled. Nothing.

See the chain pulling

The crane’s wheels were about a foot off the ground and the dozer was pulling so hard its tracks were slipping. More nothing. We watched for a couple of hours. Finally the boss decided to call it a day. They’d try something different the next day. So we left.
I have video of part of this but haven't got it ready to post yet. Also we went back and watched again yesterday. So stay tuned for Salvage Day 2. I kind of hope we don't get out of here today so we can go back and check again.