As of Saturday morning, the ferry Native Son Kat was still aground at Cow and Calf rocks off the southeast end of St. Thomas, where it has been since Dec. 17.
Bobby Hodge, president of Tortola-based Native Son Inc., said he wasn't certain whether the boat will be towed to Tortola or the Crown Bay landfill on St. Thomas.
Coast Guard Lt. Kevin Smith said, "These things are never 100 percent, all-in-a-row organized." There are a number of things that can come up, he said. Not enough room at Crown Bay, for instance. "It's a busy weekend there, and there's not lots of space to begin with," Smith said.
The boat ran aground while en route to Tortola with 84 passengers aboard, all of whom were removed safely.
Smith said that instead of patching the damaged hulls of the catamaran, the hulls were sealed with pressurized air, creating a buoyant envelope to displace the water. In other words, Smith said, a steady supply of air from a high-capacity compressor pumps in enough air to keep the craft afloat.
Titan Maritime Industries, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is doing the towing. Hodge said he is still making arrangements with the V.I. Port Authority on where the Native Son Kat will be towed.
