Mysterious sailboat washes up on South Carolina beach
Partner Content
(Photo credit: Horry County Police Dept.)
Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Visitors to a South Carolina beach came across an unusual hazard on the coastline: an unattended sailboat washed up onto the sand.
The Horry County Police Department said on social media that the boat was found on the beach Monday morning near the Ocean Creek Resort in Myrtle Beach.
Police urged members of the public to avoid the area, but many curious witnesses gathered on the beach to take photos of the vessel.
"This is a little unusual; I lived out here most of my life," local resident Elton Johnson told WMBF-TV. "I've never seen a sailboat this close and washed up on the shore like this."
Police said they were able to contact the owner of the boat and no injuries were believed to have been involved in the sailboat's stranding.
(Photo credit: Horry County Police Dept.)
It was unclear how the boat came to be on the beach, but some witnesses reported seeing it floating in the ocean Sunday, hours before it came ashore.
The boat was removed by a salvage company contracted by the owner Monday afternoon.
The U.S. Coast Guard said more information on the incident will be made available pending the outcome of an investigation.
As peak hurricane season arrives, abandoned boats pose a growing threat to safety and storm prep.
