Update, 11:25 a.m. Wednesday: The boat was not moved Wednesday morning, according to Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregson. Plans now call for the boat to be towed to the Port of Edmonds (not the Port of Everett) on Thursday morning.
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MUKILTEO — A 25-foot sailboat abandoned at the boat launch at Lighthouse Park is scheduled to be towed away early Wednesday morning.
The plan called for the boat to be moved at high tide, 2:43 a.m. and towed by a diving and salvage company to the Port of Everett, Mayor Jennifer Gregerson said.
It will be stored for 30 days and then disposed of by sale, transfer of ownership or salvage, she said.
The boat has been attracting crowds since last week. It was tied up at the end of boat launch April 20, came loose the following day and ended up on the beach, she said. “We’re pretty sure the owner was just not real interested in dealing with the boat any more,” Gregerson said.
The Port of Everett has had a history with the boat, and with its owner, dating back to 2010, said spokeswoman Lisa Lefeber. The problems include suspected and possible theft of boating-related items, providing alcohol to and inappropriate contact with a minor, and an unauthorized person living aboard the boat, she said.
Other problems occurred in 2014 and 2015, she said, including failure to pay for using marina space, failure to register the boat, suspicious drug activity and causing a nuisance, she said.
“He hasn’t been a permanent tenant in the marina,” Lefeber said. “It’s more of a guest moorage visitor.”
On April 18, the port told the owner that the boat would not be allowed on port property. The following Monday, the port’s security reported that the vessel had been untied and was drifting south down the Snohomish River channel, she said.
Meanwhile, in Mukilteo the abandoned boat has become a tourist attraction. “It is funny to go down there,” Gregerson said. “There are always at least 10 people milling around and taking pictures of it.”
People have called 911 to report the abandoned boat and some people called interested in taking the boat off the city’s hands. But they backed away after being told to give the state’s Department of Natural Resources a call, which takes responsibility for abandoned boats. “There’s definitely a ton of curiosity about it,” Gregerson said.
The city decided to act quickly on getting it moved, in part because Saturday is opening day of boating season. “Our public works director was definitely worried about the boat launch,” she said. “We know a lot of people will want to come out and use the boat launch. Having that boat in the launch is something we want to avoid.”
The boat is registered to an Everett man, but police found no one living at the address they had for him, Gregerson said.
The cost of pulling the boat off the beach, towing it to the Port of Everett and storage is estimated at $5,240, plus staff time, Gregerson said. The Department of Natural Resources is expected to pay 90 percent of the costs. The state agency has disposed of more than 500 abandoned boats since 2006. That includes seven boats that the agency’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program salvaged from waterways in the Everett area last fall.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com
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