Nelson pirate ship rescue attempt on to Plan B
The first attempted to lift the partially-submerged model pirate ship out of Kootenay Lake was unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.
The 22-foot vessel sustained some damage Saturday night and began taking on water and leaning to one side. Owner Gary Ramsbottom had hopped, with the help of local boaters, he'd be able to pivot the ship upright and pump enough water out to float it to the nearby marina by the Nelson Prestige.
But there was more water than expected in ship's hull.
"We couldn't get it high enough [out of the water] to pump it out," Ramsbottom explained. "We're moving on to Plan B."
His next attempt, planned for later this week, will involve fastening airbags to the ship for buoyancy and, again, trying to pump it out.
He says he won't give up until he's found a way to get the much-loved ship to shore.
"I think it's still salvageable," he said, joking that he'd probably be run out of town if he didn't at least attempt to save it.
"People love that pirate ship," he said. "I'm going to get it fixed up and back on the water as soon as I can."
Ramsbottom built the ship himself and has moored it in Kootenay Lake, near the Chahko Mika Mall parking lot, since the summer of 2010.
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