Despite best efforts of volunteers, fishing boat that washed ashore in Montecito a total loss
MONTECITO, Calif. - When members of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade heard a fishing boat had washed ashore on Butterfly Beach in Montecito they headed out to help.
Marco Farrell shared a Facebook post that said, "All Hands on Deck!!! help get a boat off Butterly beach today in one piece."
Rose and Kacey Brown and their children appreciate the help.
"We are trying to get it off the beach, not only to protect the beach but this is our livelihood," said Rose Brown. "I mean this is everything for us, so we're really hoping we can get it up and going."
Brown said her husband fishes for sea cucumber. It's considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.
He comes from a long line of sea urchin divers and hopes to follow suit.
But first, they hoped to save their boat named "Surfish."
It appeared the anchor line snapped during the storm. The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol notified them of the boat's situation early in the morning.
Volunteers and friends of the family prevented strangers from salvaging items before the Browns arrived.
They brought out shovels, plywood, pumps and planned to wait for the highest tide at sunrise.
While holding her youngest son, Boden, Rose Brown asked people to bring out night lights.
By sunset they had lights on the boat and beach.
With the help of volunteers there was a chance they could get it back in the water.
Farrell, who saved his parents during the Montecito Mudslide in January of 2018, said they "survived the first big storm of the year."
But Farrell admitted he I didn't get any sleep.
"We are constantly watching the weather and making sure that we do what we need to either prepare or get out of the way,"
He said it is wise to pay attention and to play it safe.
"We hope for rain just not lots of it all at once," Farrell said.
Bucket Brigade members are there for each other and they worked to help the Browns throughout the night.
They hoped to tow the boat to the Santa Barbara Harbor to survey and damage and make repairs.
Sadly, on Thursday morning, Brown said the boat was a total loss.
"We're broken-hearted," she told reporter Tracy Lehr. "The cracked hull is continually taking on too much water and sand to float her up and out."
Brown said she is so thankful for the local support as a group of "amazing friends and strangers" worked throughout the night to try and save the boat. She says the focus is now on cleanup.
Family friend Scott Thompson created a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $10,000 to help the family.
"All the help is just above and beyond anything I could express thanks for," Brown said.
To donate to help the Brown family in their recovery, click here.
