A retired but prominent member of Vancouver’s business community was guiding his 48-foot yacht through the Willamette River when it went aground on a rock shelf Monday evening.
Ronald O. Keil, 78, and his lone passenger, Madeline D. Rippo, 66, of Vashon, were not injured.
Witnesses told the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office the Fountain Express Cruiser named “Transition” was traveling at about 30 mph. Keil regularly cruises the waterway, said Jim Strovink, a sheriff’s office spokesman.
“Nighttime was settled in,” Strovink said. “He probably just misjudged it.”
On Tuesday, the yacht remained completely out of the water, sitting atop the rock shelf, Strovink said. He estimated the ship’s worth at about $1 million.
