One morning, on September 15, 1977, the inhabitants of that time of La Pedrera, awoke with a strange appearance on the sands of this resort: it was a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel that traveled to the South Atlantic: the Cathay VIII.
A huge boat, almost new, remained quiet, with its crew on deck on the banks of what is now Del Barco beach. Going adrift due to machine problems during a strong storm, it ran aground a few meters from the dangerous rocky point of La Pedrera, with 21 crew members, all survived. The sea had pushed it on the beach, laying it lightly on starboard.
On your next visit to La Pedrera, walking on the "Del Barco" beach to the remains that lie on the sands is a must. The Cathay VIII is one of the beautiful postcards that the seaside resort gives us, in addition to its panoramic balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The rescue
The crew members were kindly received by locals from the resort, who provided food and a place to sleep while waiting for some rescue attempt by the fishing company to send them back to Taiwan.
From that day and throughout the summer of '78 the tenderredes Hurricane of the Uruguayan Navy and also the tug Lavalleja tried to break it; the latter was working throughout the night of December 24, but the rescue became unfeasible.
Today the Cathay VIII
Time passed and the Cathay VIII was partially scrapped, the waves and the corrosive salt water, were corroding the metal of the boat, being still visible on the beach, the bow room.
On your next visit to La Pedrera, walking on Del Barco beach to the remains that lie on the sands is a must. The Cathay VIII is one of the beautiful postcards that the resort gives us, in addition to its historic center and huge and panoramic balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
