SAVANNAH, Ga. — A casino boat stranded on a rocky sandbar pulled itself free without help from tow boats Thursday, a day and a half after the vessel ran aground during its first passenger cruise out of Savannah.
The Escapade, a 174-foot ship, made its escape at high tide before 1 p.m. Thursday, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen. The casino ship was able to dislodge itself without assistance, probably because it was no longer weighted down with passengers, Jorgensen said. The Coast Guard rescued 118 passengers and crew from the stranded boat Wednesday afternoon.
“Without the passengers, I would imagine the ship was sitting much higher in the water,” Jorgensen said. “So they got underway under their own power.”
The Escapade, owned by Florida-based Tradewinds Casino Cruise was making its maiden voyage in the Savannah market Tuesday night when it ran aground in waters between Tybee Island, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Passengers were stuck on the boat overnight and most of the next day. They returned to shore aboard Coast Guard cutters Wednesday about 16 hours after they were first stranded.