The owners of a vessel which had to be abandoned during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and salvaged from a remote beach say it is a "huge relief" to have the boat safely in harbour, days after it looked doomed.
Last week, aerial images of Huntress washed ashore on a Tasmanian beach showed the boat stuck in sand, its mast broken.
Its location, on Christmas Beach on truwana/Cape Barren Island, off Tasmania''s north-east coast, added a degree of difficulty to the prospect of refloating the boat, as there was no road access.
If that wasn't enough, Huntress had lost its rudder before beaching, with one expert saying "a yacht with no steering is about as useless a boat as you can get".
Despite the challenges, Huntress was refloated on Sunday and is now "safely tied up in the Tamar", its crew said.
"Receiving this news was simply a huge relief and the news we had been waiting to receive for several long days," the crew posted on social media on Tuesday, thanking Total Dive Solutions and Total Marine Solutions for their work in getting the yacht off the beach in one piece.
"They worked carefully and tirelessly to minimise further damage and to ensure they succeeded in Huntress's salvage. We will forever be grateful!"
The crew of Huntress had reported "36 hours of absolute champagne sailing" during the 77th Sydney to Hobart race before conditions changed dramatically on the way to the finish line.
"We had 12 hours of very testing conditions on Tuesday night that unfortunately resulted in the loss of our rudder at 0700hrs Wednesday. While surfing a wave at 20 knots (boat speed), we heard a loud thud," the crew wrote in an Instagram post.
"It became obvious that the rudder had sheared off when we saw it floating away in the distance."
With some experiencing seasickness and authorities deciding a "tow would be too dangerous", the "heart-wrenching decision" was made to "leave Huntress floundering 80 nautical miles (148 kilometres) offshore", the team said.
The crew were then taken aboard a police vessel and transferred to Flinders Island, where they said a salvage operation was "already being planned for her safe transfer to mainland Tasmania" on December 29.
But that did not happen — with Huntress drifting off Tasmania's north-east coast without navigation lights or transmission of an identification signal due to the batteries going flat.
It then came ashore on Christmas Beach on truwana/Cape Barren Island, 282 kilometres from Hobart.
Aboriginal council claim on yacht
Following the successful salvage, Huntress became the subject of a claim by the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (ALCT), with chairman Michael Mansell stating the yacht should have not been removed because "any vessels wrecked or washed up on the shores of Aboriginal land belongs to Aborigines".
Mr Mansell said he was citing an old Aboriginal sea law practice that evolved from the time of the white settlement and has been practised on truwuna/Cape Barren since around 1820.
"The yacht cannot be removed from the island until one-third of its value is paid or the owners agree that Aborigines own the vessel."
With Huntress now in port in the Tamar River, the crew said it would be "working with our insurer to plan Huntress's repairs in restoring her to her former glory".
"This may take several months to complete but we cannot wait to get started!
"Finally, we wish to thank everyone for all the messages of support that we have received, it really has meant everything to us and has helped keep us going."
Huntress has competed in two Sydney to Hobart races — failing to finish in both due to equipment failure.
ALCT spokeswoman Rebecca Digney said a letter would be sent to the yacht's owners and insurers, requesting they meet representatives from both the land council and representatives from truwana/Cape Barren Island.
