Sunken Luxury Yacht, A Potential Pollution Threat, To Be Salvaged

A 53-foot luxury yacht that sank in a cove just off the Connecticut River in Lyme in late January is scheduled to be raised by a salvage crew next week, which will come as a relief to environmentalists worried about fuel leakage from the vessel.U.S. Coast Guard and state officials have been checking the sunken sailing yacht on a daily basis since it went down in Lyme’s Hamburg Cove. They say there is no evidence that diesel fuel from the sailing yacht’s tanks has leaked. Hamburg Cove lies at the point where the Eight Mile River flows into the Connecticut River. It is considered a key spawning ground and fisheries area for yellow perch, carp and catfish, according to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection experts. Bald eagles also use that area to hunt for fish and there are several eagle nesting sites nearby.