Cleanup of a crashed boat takes place at dawn on a Montecito beach

MONTECITO, Calif. - It was timed to get in and out at the lowest tide of the day, and that's how a beached vessel was removed from a Montecito Beach Friday.

It started at 4:30 a.m. with a crew from Marborg Industries and the non-profit Heal the Ocean, which funded the removal.

The owner was not able to deal with the wreckage. It was on the beach for more than a week.

The heavy equipment and a roll off to collect the vessel came in from Santa Barbara's East Beach around a tight point under the cemetery and made it to the western end of Butterfly Beach.

The vessel was a 30-foot sailboat.

It was crushed and scooped up in just a few minutes.

After that, the team of workers went thorough the debris location to collect the splinters by hand to make sure the beach was cleared of hazards when the project was done.

They made it out as the tide was beginning to rise again.

Marborg and Heal the Ocean have responded several times to rid the beaches of crashed boats that are left unattended.

This insures they are not a risk to the public or the environment.