Help Keith & Bird of Dawning off the beach

Hi, I'm Jasmin, the daughter of Keith, the owner of Bird of Dawning, that was beached on Coffs Harbour Jetty beach.

”Birdy” was towed over the sandbank early Thursday morning. It happened very early, 4:30am as not to endanger any bystanders…. But in the dark, so I’m sorry there was no footage! She now sits, floating, tied up to the public wharf in Coffs marina waiting to be hoisted up into the slipway where we can assess damages and begin repairs.

This was a very costly and unnecessary undertaking. The extent of repairs is not yet known. But we know that the amazing skipper of The Topaz (a local trawler) who had been cleared by AMSA could have freed us & had this nightmare over much sooner.

Here’s a little back story for those who are interested:

Two months ago Dad gave up his birth in the Coffs Harbour marina, hoping to go sailing. He has had his boat there (other than when he's cruising) since 2001. Shortly after he had serious engine problems that led to his engine being removed from the boat. The boat was unseaworthy, however he was forced out of the marina, despite there being spare births available. He took up a mooring, but was also kicked off them, being that they’re public & have a 48 hour max stay.

On Saturday the 18th of January, during the wild storms we've had, Dad's boat broke loose of its anchor, in the outer harbour and washed up on the beach. Dad managed to secure the boat that day, and by early Sunday morning with the help of some amazing friends we had her turned around in the perfect position and with a perfect tide to be towed. Unfortunately no assistance came to our aid. After Sunday we lost significant high tides.

Monday we spoke to Maritime, who said they were unable to help us. Marine rescue rallied a couple volunteers (for whom we are so grateful for them trying ) together and attempted to tow us, however with a minimal crew and rescue attempts executed an hour after low tide, their efforts failed. They denied further assistance.

Youi, Dad's insurer, denied Dad's claim.... we're yet to fully understand on what terms.

Many local skippers of trawlers came forward and were confident that they could tow us off the beach, however due to liability, they didn't want to take on the responsibility. The skipper of The Topaz went as far as getting cleared by AMSA to tow us, and had insurance to do so. However local authorities threatened him with a $100,000 fine if he did. Council ordered us with a public liability and ordered us to take down our safety lines that were tied to the pier.

The bureaucracy has been criminal. Liability based policy has robbed us all of the Aussie spirit. When did we trade in common decency, logic and good will for paranoia and lawsuits?

The only thing keeping Dad's spirits alive has been the incredible support of our community. Coffs Harbour really has rallied around us in every way that it can. Tuesday the 21st we had HUNDRED of locals come down to tow a line, winch a rope, offer a bottle of water or general morale. Every kindness has been so appreciated <3

With film crews rolling and the support of so many, we gained enough pressure for Maritime to assist. Unfortunately, they did so an hour after low tide and on their little boat..... that lacks the power required.

After 4 days of pounding into the sand, the rudder has been bent and the integrity of the hull is under a lot of pressure. The public and environmental threat is now real.... but never had to be if prompt support by our emergency agencies was initially offered.

We've been contacted by an Illuka tug boat operator that feels confident he can tow us out. But at a huge cost...... exactly how much, we're not yet told. The local slipway is waiting to hoist us up immediately once towed within the harbour. There they will assess the damages and cost for repairs.

Its not going to be cheap.

Community support has been the silver lining of this nightmare. I think we're all a little tired of our government agencies and insurance companies failing us.

If you're in a position to donate anything, every dollar is appreciated.