Photo: RK8776 Noreast.com

An update to a story that we have been following. The 50′ schooner Le Papillon came ashore on a beach  on Fire Island, northeast of New York harbor, at the beginning of April.   Just as it looked like the schooner would be swallowed up by the shifting sands, some folks with a large backhoe and what looks like an earth mover, secured chains to the stricken vessel and draggedher off the beach.  Fortunately the  schooner is built of steel.  It is hard to judge how much damage has been done but the vessel is no longer in danger of being swallowed up by the Fire Island’s sands.

Thanks to Will van Dorp at the tugster blog for keeping track of Le Papillon’s saga and to RK8776 at Noreast.com’s Saltwater Fishing Discussion board for taking the photographs as the schooner was hauled up from the sand.   Click here and scroll down to see the photos.