'MOTHER NATURE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT COULD HELP ME NOW': Menaced by Ida, stranded boater is now banking on a strong south wind

New England native Russ Day said his 41-foot Morgan Out Island sailboat has become a Destin attraction, as it has been beached on the Air Force side of the East Pass jetties for more than a month.

Day ran ashore in late October while trying to sail into the harbor at night. Rough winds and seas disoriented the sailor, who said he couldn’t see the jetties in the dark and ended up veering off course and landing on the beach.

Without the money to hire a salvage company, Day thought his plan to spend the next five years on the sea would have to be changed until Destin charter boat Capt. Bill Waitzman offered up his boat and crew to help out the sailor. But the extraction attempt failed, and Day’s $400,000 sailboat continues to be battered by waves on the beach.

“The efforts to move the boat have been aborted,” Captain Bill Waitzman said. “The problem is that the water directly adjacent to the boat is very shallow, so you can’t just drive a boat up to it and pull him out.”

Day agreed that the boat is in a bad spot for extraction. He added that the boat is well built, weighing about 27,000 pounds completely empty, which makes it difficult to drag off the sand. So for now, he’s just waiting on the right weather conditions to blow him back into the Gulf.

“What I really need is a strong south wind to blow it off the beach, but south winds are rare these days,” Day said. “It might be spring before I get the wind I need.”

And every day that the boat sits on the beach, it’s in danger. Day said the interior has been swamped several times, filling the cabin with sand and destroying all of the electronics he had on board as well as his generator. And as some of the exterior of the boat is buried, Day said he’s also concerned about the rudder being damaged.

Adding to his list of potential problems are the possibility of theft and the boat’s location on military property. Day said his dingy was stolen, and he caught two men trying to carry off a motor. He confronted the pair, and they returned the motor, saying they thought the boat had been abandoned despite signs Day posted on the boat to let people know it’s occupied.

“For a while, I was living in a tent on the beach, staying with the boat, but then Ida chased me away,” Day said. “I wasn’t wanting for company there. People were always coming up wanting more of the story. I kinda felt like a park ranger.”

Fortunately, Day said the military has not added to his problems. Bruce Stippich, Eglin Emergency Spill Response Program Manager, said he isn’t putting any pressure on Day to depart as long as he isn’t a burden. Stippich even helped Day comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements, de-fueling his boat to prevent hazardous materials from getting into the Gulf.

“Right now, we’re not pushing him to do anything because we’re not in beach season,” Stippich said. “I’m going to give him the opportunity to do what he can to get it off.”

“Plenty of people have offered to help, but I can’t think of what they could do for me,” Day said. “Mother Nature is the only one that could help me now.”

And for now, Mother Nature isn’t being very helpful. Day keeps an eye on the weather, looking for any gust from the south, but has yet to be able to get a strong enough wind to blow it off. He said he’ll continue to watch and wait, probably renting an apartment close by for the winter.

“I miss my boat,” Day said. “But I kinda take things in stride. I was in a rut before, and this has shaken things up.”