TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Beached sailboat

More on the saga.
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That's a shame, for people in that area. The same is true, even more, for those in Beacon Hill, where that rusty bucket of nails boat has been, for what, two years or more?

The last time I saw the sailboat it was missing the steering wheel and the compass unlike the Herald photo.

Slowly being parted out. Nothing is safe from theft.

Whale Tail--I imagine that's an old photo that they had on file.

The last paragraph cracked me up. Repairing that boat would cost more than purchasing it again new and the rigging isn't worth the cost of removing it.

Zanshin--so what is the answer here, if you know, for this situation, and the one in Beacon Hill?

The local nominally owns the boat, despite just having a verbal contract with the previous owner, so would be liable for the cost of removing the boat. But he's a local, and since he's not answering any queries, I'm sure he's lawyered up and will contest the verbal contract. The original owner is gone. So, the government will need to locate him, prove in court that he is the actual owner, and then extract the money or have to pay the salvage costs itself. The first is unlikely to happen. The Beacon Hill wreck is owned by a company which then went bankrupt so there's no money there. The owners are still quite affluent and evidently did not bother with the costs incurred by having insurance.

I think that the 10K$ cost is for marine salvage. The wreck is on the beach close to excellent road access for a truck and crane so I would think that it might be done for less (if a private person were paying, if the government is paying the estimates will of course be much higher)

With regard to the Beacon Hill wreck, is there any resolution to get that out of the way??

"Now, according to salvage companies, the cost to remove it will be around $10,000." Are they kidding with that number?? For that price, no one will want to "tow" it away!! At this point, there is nothing of any value to resell!! I can see, this is going to be another "D'Boat" cluttering up Simpson bay beach!!

@Colour1 - that was the point of my posts; there is no profit involved, just costs. Since those who should pay are not going to be made liable, the government is going to have to foot the bill and they won't do so unless the complaints are loud enough or made by those with leverage.

Could the D Boat be rolled over and sunk as an artificial reef? I would imagine all toxic substance has evaporated by now.

Toxic substances don't just evaporate.

It would have to be towed out to deeper waters but before that would have to be completely cleared of any pollutants. Not easy to just go and sink something. Have to follow protocols to protect the underwater environment. A toxic reef would do more harm than good.

A few years ago, they brought out TWO crain boats to lift it. It is so wedged in there, it won't budge!!! There is a local guy, who likes to fish in front of unit#1 at BSV, nice guy who lives over there near the boat. He told me it bangs back and forth all night!! I took this photo from my Rhino rider last November. It's falling apart for sure. Not sure when it's going to make landfall?? But it's a mess!!

OHHH and wait for permits too!!!

Took this one in January....

We watched them "prepping"/loading that boat several years ago, before they draged it out into Simpson Bay. It was in the lagoon, directly opposite Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar (Airport Rd), and debris was blowing all over with no regard to what was going in the water or anywhere else. It was a $hit-show then and it is even worse now. Pretty sad that nobody seems responsible.