PORT ARANSAS, Texas — For just over a week, it has been a sight for the curious: a mysterious shrimp boat that washed up along the beach in Port Aransas.
For Phillip Lara, Captain of the Second Chance boat, it has been one crashing wave after another.
"Well, the whole thing has been a nightmare," he said. "We accidentally busted our anchor line, and we were coming in to replace it, and then we had a fuel issue, which killed the boat. I had a secondary anchor, and it wasn’t big enough. We did everything we could to stop it."
Being stuck in the sand is more than just an inconvenience, it also means a week with no work.
"I’ve been at this for 35 years and this is all I’ve ever done," Lara said. "This is what I do for a living. This is my bread and butter. This is my boat."
The community has taken notice of his plight.
A GoFundMe page has raised nearly $5,600 and early Wednesday morning, a few of the faithful gathered in prayer to ask for help of another kind.
Pastor Bobbi Erben of Sandcastle Church in Port Aransas told 3NEWS it was time to give the boat the push it needs to break free.
"This captain has been trying to move this boat back out to shore," Erben said. "This is his livelihood. This is a support for his family and the families of his crewmembers, and it’s not been possible. We believe that with God, all things are possible."
For those who were the subject of those prayers, it was hard to hold back the emotion.
"I had no idea I would be able to get any help from the community, and the community has come together for me, by every means possible. I had no idea," Lara said.
For a man who admits that he has spent his entire career wondering whether his work matters, Lara is quick to sum up his week along a coastal bend beach with one word:
"Love."
Lara tells 3NEWS that he has more equipment coming in and that he hopes to be able to free the boat on Thursday.