While it might look like a Halloween prop for a “Pirates of the Caribbean” display, the sunken sailboat in Mission Bay near San Luis Rey Place won’t be disappearing with the other spooky displays on Nov. 1.
According to Lt. Nick Lerma with Lifeguard Services, the boat’s owner hit a patch of rocks, causing the 65-foot vessel to start to sink.
“Later on the vessel was sinking, so he deliberately beached before it sank in deeper water. There was nothing we could do to prevent it from sinking based on the age of the boat and how much damage was done,” Lerma said.
The 64-year-old boat has sat in the sand since early September.
“Initially we tried to help the owner with his options, which were private salvage, and bottom line he was unable to pay for the services that were needed,” Lerma said. “Unfortunately, he abandoned his boat. We’ve been in contact with him recently. We’re trying to set up some type of payment plan for him to still take care of his boat. It’s a costly endeavor to remove that boat. We’re trying to hold him accountable for what he’s responsible for through a payment plan.”
Lerma said there are several reasons for the delay in removing the ship, including following the rules surrounding abandoned ships, the age of the ship, the extent of the damage and the price of removal.
“It takes money up front that we simply didn’t have available,” he said. “It [will cost] $12,000 to $15,000 to get rid of the boat and haul it all the way to the dump. It’s the owner’s responsibility. There is a Harbors and Navigation Code that identifies what is an abandoned watercraft. It has to be abandoned for 30 days before an agency such as ourselves can take possession of it and do something with it. Thirty days have come and gone and now we’re trying to still keep him on the hook to take care of it financially.”
Lerma said the boat will be removed and added that the city will more than likely have to send the bill to a collection agency to recover the costs of removal.
“We are getting a plan together because we know it’s an eyesore, so we’re trying to get rid of it the best way we know how,” he said. “Lifeguard Services doesn’t have the capability of doing it ourselves. It’s not a matter of towing the boat off, because it will sink. So we need to do it from land, which is going to include some heavy equipment.”
Lerma said he estimates Lifeguard Services impounds approximately 30 boats each year, with impound costs uncollected because ownership can’t be determined.
“There’s some loopholes in boating that they don’t have a problem with in vehicles,” he said. “An owner of an old boat can find a buyer and sell it to him real cheap. They send in their release of liability to the DMV and they’re off the hook.
“Then the new owners just generally don’t take responsibility for a boat,” he continued. “They maybe don’t know what it entails to take care of a boat. It’s a lot of money to take care of a big boat especially. Owners of old boats end up finding derelict owners to take on possession even though it’s not legitimate. Ultimately, the boat gets abandoned, and it’s a problem, a big problem.”
Lerma said occasionally owners do claim their abandoned boats, but more than likely impounded ships end up in the Miramar Landfill at the taxpayers’ expense. Regardless of who picks up the tab, Lerma said the boat will be removed within a few weeks.