Saga of the VERNA A II

On September 11, 2016, our local newspaper published an article on the misadventures of the VERNA A II, a 56 foot fishing boat out of Fort Bragg, California. The article caught my fancy. A few days later, September 13, 2016, slightly more amusing article was published due to the efforts of its owner, Roy Underwood, to evade the police. Roy just wanted to get drunk under a tree somewhere and try to forget this troubles.
As a regular visitor to the beach at Salmon Creek beach south, I was amazed to see the Verna A II first hand on the beach on a hazy day.

In the few days that passed a number of things had occurred, the authorities had Mr. Underwood in their care, I’m sure they realized that he wasn’t able to refloat the boat and contracted with salvage company to have the hazardous items removed.

On November 1, 2016 , The Press Democrat ran an article describing the various efforts to salvage the Verna A II, but it seems nothing was able to be done to right her.

In the following months, due to my regular “hobby” of picking up trash on this stretch of beach, I was able to take snap-shots of the Verna A II as she was slowly demolished by the tide and surf.

By the end of November, her house was gone:

Pieces of wood, wires and insulation were washed down the beach and took some weeks to get cleaned up by the action of concerned beach-goers and the surf. During November, my trashbags were full of potato sized pieces of foam insulation.

In December, she had given up most of seaward/starboard side:

Amazing where people will let their children play!

and in January, she was broken up by the large storms and high tides during that month:

and at the end, she disappeared into the beach:

There is a good chance that she will be back, the sands at Salmon Creek and Sonoma Dunes beaches are active, the come and they go, sculpting the beaches into new shapes and sizes. When she does emerge, we’ll try our best to post a picture here.

Added Feb 22, 2019 – As the tide receded yesterday, the Verna A II was revealed again:

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She’s back! The beach at Salmon Creek South was worn down by the seasonal storms this year revealing the bones of Verna A. II.
If you try to align the mast with the coastal hills in the background, it appears she’s moved. The tide was close to high on the 12th, when this latest photo was taken and I was standing back at the high water mark.
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On August 23, 2023 Verna A II was sited again at Salmon Creek Beach. Photos were contributed via email, Thank You!

 

Verna A II, Salmon Creek Beach South, November 28, 2023

 

Update 02/11/2024: Another fishing boat had gone aground at Salmon Creek Beach South. The Aleutian Storm was beached at 11 P.M. Friday, Feb 10, 2024. There is hope of a rescue, they will try to tow it off at high tide today or tonight.

02/13/2024: No success in three attempts to free the Aleutian Storm over the last few days.

02/13/2024: Update – Crews try to remove fuel from the Aleutian Storm

02/17/2024: 2-mile section of state beach in Sonoma County around grounded fishing vessel closed amid storm

02/20/2024: Wind and waves claim most of grounded fishing boat near Bodega Bay
The 58-foot Aleutian Storm fishing vessel has been reduced to little more than a gashed and battered hull less than two weeks since it went aground on Salmon Creek State Beach

02/21/2024: The Aleutian Storm was demolished by heavy surf and this story in the Press Democrat tells the latest.

03/11/2024: Salvage of grounded Aleutian Storm on Sonoma Coast State Beach nearing finish
Salvage crews cutting up fishing vessel grounded on South Salmon Creek Beach are making progress despite challenges posed by tides, waves and weather.

03/15/2024: Aleutian Storm salvage put on hold until June as officials commit to removing all Sonoma Coast wreckage at a later date
Officials say good progress was made removing much of the wreckage from the fishing boat but powerful swells and the disappearance of ultra-low “minus tides” have prompted a temporary, “operational pause.”

03/18/2024: Volunteers sought for Salmon Creek Beach cleanup, just not too many
Nesting season for an endangered bird is complicating efforts to manage a volunteer cleanup scheduled Saturday at Salmon Creek Beach, where the destruction of the Aleutian Storm left a large debris field.

10/08/2024: The Verna A II appears again – two recent photographs …

02/27/2025: The Press Democrat has a nice photo essay on the removal which can be seen here.

The Park Service has closed Salmon Creek Beach south parking lot to facilitate the removal of what is left of the Verna A II.

This, I guess, is the end of the Saga of the Verna A II. You never know, she may be back in some other form in the future.