Sailboat stuck on rocks near Zuanich Point Park a likely fixture for awhile
A sailboat that broke loose from an anchor in Fairhaven, drifted across Bellingham Bay and came to rest Oct. 7 on the rocks near Zuanich Point Park will likely stay where’s it’s at until at least the week before Thanksgiving.
The boat is located on the break wall, a little west of Zuanich Point Park, Squalicum Harbormaster Kyle Randolph told The Bellingham Herald.
The boat’s owner is legally responsible for removing the boat, Randolph said, however they have “not responded to our attempts to contact him.”
With those efforts unsuccessful, the Port of Bellingham mostly likely will have to remove the vessel after it has completed the state requirements for derelict vessels under RCW 79.100, Randolph said.
That means the port would first be able to move the vessel Nov. 18, or 30 days after it was declared abandoned.
“An actual removal date has not been determined, and there are a variety of factors that may delay action, such as owner responsiveness, funding, weather, etc.,” Randolph told The Herald.
Randolph said the U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for making sure there were no environmental hazards from keeping the boat where it was, but he was unaware that any had been found.
This is not the first time the port or the harbor have had a boat wash up on the breakwater like this, Randolph said, adding that it sometimes happens “several times per year, sometimes less.”
Nearby in Sandy Point, a pair of derelict fishing vessels have are sitting on the bottom of the channel waiting for removal after one sank in 2016 and the second earlier this month.
Abandoned vessels typically are handled by the state Department of Natural Resources and its Derelict Vessel Removal Program.
“They have programs to reimburse for removal and are looking into new legislation to tackle this growing problem,” Randolph said.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
