A shrimp trawler washed ashore in Myrtle Beach during Ian. It has quite a history
Most Myrtle Beach attractions tend to be intentional, placed on or near the beach on purpose.
The Grand Strand’s newest attraction was brought to shore by a force of nature — Hurricane Ian.
A shrimp trawler, named the Shayna Michelle, washed ashore on Friday after losing power the day before the storm arrived, according to a GoFundMe set up to help pay for the boat’s removal.
“Holden Beach Seafood’s shrimp boat the Shayna Michelle (formerly the Winds of Fortune), and crew were trying to make their way back home to Holden Beach, NC before Hurricane Ian made it to our coast,” the GoFundMe page says. “However, Thursday evening, they were stranded about two miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach with engine issues.”
The Coast Guard rescued the crew, who were treated at the hospital and later released, but had to leave the boat adrift.
“Eventually, and in the middle of Hurricane Ian’s arrival, the Shayna Michelle washed up near the Mystic Sea (hotel) in Myrtle Beach,” the GoFundMe page continued. “Help us get her off the shore and back catching those amazing local shrimp that we all love!”
Hurricane Ian beached the boat on Friday in Myrtle Beach near Williams Street and Ocean Boulevard. Police quickly secured the boat with barricades until it can be safely removed.
A famous vessel
The boat has a rich history.
Formerly known as the Winds of Fortune, the boat and its previous owner Captain Wayne Magwood were featured on “Dirty Jobs,” “The Amazing Race” and Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” music video in 2010.
Magwood retired from shrimping in 2020 and died later that year.
In its previous life with Magwood, the boat was based in the Charleston area. Magwood was heralded as a legendary figure in the Town of Mount Pleasant, which honored his life with a commemorative plaque on the Shem Creek pedestrian bridge. Magwood also posthumously received the Cresco Historical Stewardship Award from the Mount Pleasant Historical Commission in December 2020.
“Capt. Wayne was a personification of his family’s multi-generational dedication to the history of Mount Pleasant and the health and conservation of our waterways,” the organization said at the time.
Another prominent attraction
This isn’t the first time something that washed ashore during a hurricane has gotten a lot of attention in Myrtle Beach.
During Hurricane Dorian in 2019, a red Jeep was found on the sand, garnering national attention as people tried to figure out how something so unrelated to the water ended up in the surf.
The powerful hurricane battered the car, smashing in the windshield and ripping off the front bumper.
According to a Myrtle Beach police report, the owner of the Jeep let his cousin borrow it “one to two weeks” before the storm arrived.
People urged to keep their distance
The Shayna Michelle has already attracted hundreds of visitors since washing ashore. On Sunday afternoon, dozens of people stood near the barricades, drawn by the massive attraction. The boat is at 68 feet long and has booms that stick out 45 feet on either side.
Visitors took photos of the boat, asking the police officer standing guard questions about it as a few young children played near one of the barricades closer to the ocean.
City of Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea advised people to stay away from the trawler. Trying to climb on the boat is dangerous, he said, and can result in serious injury.
It’s not just a recommendation to stay away from the boat. WMBF News reported that a 50-year-old man was arrested Friday and charged with disorderly conduct for climbing onto the boat after it washed ashore.
Getting the boat out will be quite an endeavor.
“We have some equipment coming in to excavate a trench maybe,” the boat’s owner, Kevin Benz, told WMBF News. “Or we’re going to run some lines from a bigger tugboat to get Shayna Michelle out.”
