Thirty hours after Damien Smith’s 22-foot yacht ran aground on Stanwell Park Beach, it began the second leg of its fateful voyage on the back of a truck.

The two-tonne vessel was dragged 300 metres up the beach by an excavator on Monday morning, before being loaded onto the truck by a crane for transport to a Port Kembla yard.

The operation, co-ordinated by NSW Maritime, is expected to cost Mr Smith between $8000 and $10,000.

It was a dramatic end to the Melbourne man’s brief journey, which began in Sydney on Saturday but took a turn for the worse when his $2550 eBay purchase experienced equipment failures off the northern Illawarra coast.

Outdated maps and a navigational error led him to run aground on the beach, bringing his maiden voyage and lifelong dream to an abrupt end early Sunday morning.

Despite the setback, an obviously disappointed Mr Smith said he wasn’t quite ready to give up on his dream just yet.

‘‘The inside of me wants to just keep coming up in my spare time to do it up to show people that I see things through,’’ he said.

‘‘I’d love to just get it home and fix it up.’’

Mr Smith had already paid for a mooring in Melbourne close to his home and work.

The former TAFE teacher-cum-metal-fabricationist spent Monday morning speaking to community members, hoping to devise a less expensive removal plan.

The vessel suffered a broken keel and damaged hull during failed attempts to manoeuvre it back into the water on Sunday afternoon.

Sporting cuts and bruises on his legs from the failed attempt, Mr Smith remained surprising philosophical about the incident.

‘‘All is not lost, it’s still a boat, even if it’s damaged,’’ he said.

‘‘I’m not in any trouble with police and I didn’t lose my life, so that’s something.’’

On Monday afternoon the yacht was delivered to Port Kembla, where it will be held while Mr Smith organises to pay the removal bill.

‘‘Roads and Maritime [Services] advises boaters to plan their trip ensuring the vessel is suitable for the intended voyage and is capable of meeting perils at sea,’’ a Roads and Maritime Services spokesman said on Monday.

‘‘Boaters should always navigate safely and skippers are responsible for having lifejackets available for everyone on board.

‘‘In the event of an incident, boaters are given an opportunity to recover the vessel themselves. When this is not possible, Roads and Maritime will help retrieve a vessel to ensure the safety of those on board and in the vicinity, and protection of the environment and the wider community.’’

As he watched his pride and joy being strapped to the back of the truck, Mr Smith advised other would-be sailors ‘‘to get experience first and plan a few things.’’