Eight escape safely as yacht sinks south of Hood Canal Bridge

"Silver Lining" will be towed to Port Townsend for haul-out

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Two vessels from TowBoatUS out of Port Hadlock worked after dark July 23 to tow near shore and secure the 65-foot "Silver Lining" family cruising yacht that struck rock or some other hard surface south of the Floating Bridge over Hood Canal Tuesday and sunk. A civilian in the Coast Guard office for Puget Sound said eight people aboard the 1997 Pacific Mariner used the U.S.-registered vessel's skiff to safely abandon the ship and get to shore. Jeff Gearhart said he was unable to identify them or their ages or genders. Water depth at the site approaches 90 feet and the Silver lining has diesel fuel and oil aboard. Gearhart said Silver Lining will be towed to Port Townsend by a salvage company that was staging on the evening of July 23 in preparation for getting the boat off the bottom of Hood Canal. Specifications published in yachting magazines and for-sale ads indicate the Pacific Mariner 65 draws 5 ' of water, is 17'3"-wide and weighs 33 tons, with bridge clearance of just over 19 feet. The list price in 2001 was $1.6 million. Shoreline residents at the scene Tuesday night and fire personnel said salvage would begin first thing the morning of July 24.