Sierra Rose yacht waits to be resurrected

The Sierra Rose luxury yacht remains submerged in water at its dock in the Tahoe Keys Marina a couple days after it first sank.

The Sierra Rose at its dock on July 9. Photo/Anne Knowles

Local officials who are monitoring the incident said owner Mike Stewart is working with a crane operator to raise the boat out the water within the next few days.

“We were told they are trying to refloat the boat,” said Lauri Kemper, assistant executive officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region.

The water control board was called to the marina early Monday morning along with other area agencies, including the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the California Emergency Management Agency, to ensure that the boat was not leaking oil or other fluids into the waters.

“We determined that they had a fuel tank full of diesel and a full sewage tank,” said Kemper, “but there were no leaks and the tanks were intact and completely sealed.”

“There are no environmental problems and it is being highly monitored by Lahontan, the TRPA, El Dorado County Environmental Management, Fish and Game, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the fire department and the Coast Guard,” said a spokesperson for the marina.

Robert Spinnota, the marina general manager, was not available for comment. Stewart, the boat’s owner, did not immediately return calls.

Stewart and several guests were on the boat early Monday morning when it began to sink, according to Lt. Dave Stevenson with SLTPD. Lake Tahoe News initially reported that no one was on the boat.

“The owner was onboard and a couple couples,” Stevenson told Lake Tahoe News. “The owner found the leak and everyone stepped off the boat and onto the dock.”

SLTPD is currently conducting a vessel accident report, but Stevenson said the cause of the problem appears to have been some kind of mechanical failure with the boat’s water system.

The 85-foot Sierra Rose is a multi-million dollar yacht available to rent for $2,000 a night. It sleeps six and, according to its web site, features a fully-appointed kitchen, two master bedrooms with private baths, hardwood floors, a closed circuit video system and a 20-foot, all-mahogany speed boat.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report