The sailing yacht Legacy, which sank in Florida two decades ago and took years to salvage, has sunk again, farther up the coast in Fort Pierce. Salvage efforts are underway.
The 158-foot (48-meter) superyacht most recently sank on May 5, in an area commonly referred to as the turning basin. It sits where the Fort Pierce Inlet meets the Indian River. According to local residents, she had been anchored there, without her masts, since 2022 and deteriorating.
We contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for commentary but didn’t receive a response by press time. We also reached out to Linda Hudson, mayor of Fort Pierce, who referred us to Josh Revord, the St. Lucie County port director. In a statement, Revard says, “The County has had many conversations with FWC/USCG regarding the Legacy over the last two years. FWC had reviewed the vessel on multiple occasions and was unable to deem it derelict. The USCG was unwilling to move it because it was not impeding commerce. Ultimately, the owner maintained that no one had the right to evict him due to admiralty laws on the books.” Additionally, Revard says, FWC is trying to contact the owner, and he awaits an update from the agency…