PORT ANGELES — The owners of a 36-foot boat grounded in Valley Creek Estuary are trying to find a way to remove it before the state completes the process of taking custody of the vessel.
David and Nancy Reese of Port Angeles are trying to dislodge the boat, which has no name, with a 16-foot skiff and a small, four-horsepower outboard motor at high tides.
The wooden cabin cruiser broke anchor and ran aground during the windstorm of Nov. 18.
Nancy Reese said she and her husband are determined to free the boat, which is damaged beyond repair, and find a place to dispose of it.
“We have to,” she said. “We don’t have a choice.”
DNR could step in
If they can’t move the boat, the state Department of Natural Resources will do it for them.
“We posted a notice on it Thursday morning,” said Melissa Ferris, derelict vessel removal program manager for DNR, on Friday.
“That is sort of the start of the custody proceeding. The owner was working on removing it yesterday and today. I know he’s started or is attempting to do so.”
The custody process takes about 30 days to complete.
“We’re giving him an opportunity to take care of [the boat] himself, and if he doesn’t, we’ll step in,” Ferris said.
Derelict vessel removal is funded by the $3 boat registration fee.
David Reese inherited the boat from his son, who died of cancer about 21âÑ2 years ago.
The boat, which has been anchored off the mouth of Valley Creek for several years. It’s the second time that the boat has grounded.
It ran aground near the estuary in December 2008. Then, the Reeses managed to have it patched and get it afloat again. The damage is more severe this time, they said.
The boat is not causing environmental damage, the Coast Guard has said.
Ferris last week estimated the cost of removing the vessel may be less than $15,000.
But Nancy Reese said she spoke with someone who had to pay $66,000 to have a derelict vessel removed last year.
“I don’t have a penny for any of this,” she said.
“Like they say, a boat is a hole in the water you pour your money into. They mean it.”
The Reeses hope to find someone with a larger motor to help dislodge their boat and someone with a trailer to help them move it.
“We don’t want it down there either,” she said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.