Mukilteo Boat Beaching Follow Up
The 38’ fiberglass catamaran we recently reported on that washed up on a beach is now sitting high and dry on the sand adjacent to the rocks along Edgewater Beach in Mukilteo, WA. A man who gave his name as “Captain Doug” said he was the owner of the boat. He and an associate were working to remove any environmentally hazardous materials. He had pumped out the diesel from the tanks, taken off batteries, and even cleared the lockers of paint and varnish. He seemed genuinely concerned about ensuring that the boat did not pollute the sound.
When asked what happened he explained that he was towing the boat from Tacoma to Everett to work on it as it had a steering pump issue and was not running. After he passed the ferry terminal in Mukilteo, he was headed east which was sideways to the wind and waves. He tried to pick up the pace a little to get further into the sheltered area of Possession Sound when the tow rope parted and he lost control of the powercat Nomad that he was towing. He was unable to reattach the boat and soon the wind and waves drove the boat onto the beach.
The vessel sustained serious damage from being pounded on the rocks and now has some holes in the fiberglass hull. It is unlikely that the boat can be floated off without some kind of inflatable bags to keep it from sinking. The owner did not believe that insurance would cover the vessel removal and wasn’t even certain his coverage was up to date. The vessel, now hopefully cleared of hazards, will need to be removed from the beach. It is close enough to the parking lot that it could be potentially lifted off the beach with a crane and placed on a truck. The twin Yanmar diesels and external jet drives were still on board which will add weight. If the owner is not able to remove the vessel it may have to be destroyed and removed in pieces. Washington State Department of Natural resources has a Derelict Vessel Removal Program which may have to be involved. We will follow up on this story to try to understand what the process is when a vessel is stranded on a beach like this.
More to come.
Strong winds drive boat onto Mukilteo Beach
