Aboard Distant Drum we had the best view of the salvage, though it was a relentless freezing cold wind throughout. The salvage crews began at 7.30am and she began being raised about 3pm. It took about an hour from when the tension was taken up on the wires and strops, a slow process as it was high tide and she was full of water. On board DD, the tea and coffee flowed and the cameras rolled.

Getting the wires and stops sorted took all morning and some of the afternoon

And she’s raised up, slowly slowly… (the following few photos I took with my phone as I filmed the salvage on my Canon, hence the pics not as crisp)

More or less upright, though still full of water

And then the contents were pumped out, and the stench was UNHOLY – rotting fish, rotting stagnant water, the bilge water was the least of it! We abandoned DD and the pontoon for about two hours until the wind had whipped away the stench and the tide had flowed the liquid stink out into the sea

Safely tied up to the salvage platform this morning, all power to the Dutch and Belgian salvage teams who did a fantastic and slick job, she looks as if nothing had happened to her (externally) and isn’t she happy!