Yacht set free after running aground in Lake Norman

DENVER, N.C. — 'Shamrockin,' a million dollar yacht, that was stuck in the mud in the middle of Lake Norman is finally free Saturday.

A large crane removed the boat Saturday after it was stuck in less than six inches of water for a week off governors island in Denver.

It was towed back to the All-seasons Marina.

The boat owner said he was on the lake at night and his GPS failed before his yacht got stuck.

The 50-foot boat, ‘Shamrockin,’ got stuck on a shoal off Governor’s Island near Denver, one of the shallowest parts of Lake Norman.

"You never know from a story at night what is actually happening until you get out there and you're standing beside it," Derek DeBord of TowBoatUS said.

It is one of the biggest challenges that DeBord has faced on Lake Norman. The yacht is the largest to ever run aground on the lake.

DeBord said the boat operator was on the lake at night when his electronics failed. Without access to a GPS that displays water depth, the operator got the boat stuck.

Crews said that despite minimal damage to the boat and none to the environment, they have been struggling to remove the yacht from the water.

It's been there since early Saturday morning.

“Nothing on the lake is really equipped to deal with that," DeBord said.

Workers from Beaufort have been called to Lake Norman to assist. Their next step is to use a crane barge to lift the vessel and place it in deeper water. While the damage could have been a lot worse, workers said it could have been avoided.

"Running around and trying to figure it out on the fly maybe works in daytime operations, but not at night," Lee Sykes of TowBoatUS said.

Another major problem is that the boat weighs 52,000 pounds. Alcohol was not a factor in the incident, authorities said.

Crews towed the yacht to All Seasons Marina in Mooresville.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• 50-foot yacht runs aground on Lake Norman
• Attacking hawks have Hickory community on edge
• Heroic 6-year-old saves family from Belmont house fire
• ATV rider killed after colliding with NC deputy's cruiser
• TRAFFIC HEADACHE: Construction zone on I-77, serious crashes

Cox Media Group