Insurance assessors to inspect beached yacht

Insurance assessors from Blenheim are this afternoon inspecting the beached yacht Alida to devise a salvage plan for the sloop.

A 36-year-old unemployed Bluff man has been remanded in custody charged with unlawfully taking the $45,000 yacht from its moorings at Diamond Harbour, Banks Peninsula, on August 14.

John William Koro Whatuira appeared in Blenheim District Court yesterday after the 9m Alida ran aground on the Marlborough coastline at Ward on Tuesday.

Whatuira told police he'd anchored offshore for the night on Monday and awoke to find himself aground. He had been heading for Rarotonga or Auckland.

Police said today they were worried that the stricken yacht could be vandalised and earlier urged insurance assessors to act quickly.

- NZPA