Sunken sailboat shall rise again

There’s no sunken treasure in this boat. Nevertheless, the Port of Coupeville is working to raise a submerged sailboat that sank near the Coupeville Wharf last month.

The boat, a 28-foot Lancer, went down April 18 after the two people on the boat went ashore and vanished.

Divers spent Monday morning working around the submerged vessel. They attached floats to it during low tide, expecting the rising tides to eventually bring it to the surface and allow workers to pull it closer to shore, said Jim Patton, executive director for the Port of Coupeville.

“We’re fortunate we got a midday low tide followed by reasonably high tides,” Patton said as he watched from the coffee shop at the Coupeville Wharf as a divers worked to raise the sailboat. He said the pleasant weather made work easier for the diver.

It was expected to take several days for the sailboat to rise to the surface. If all goes according to plan, it will cost the Port of Coupeville about $1,000 for the work.

Patton said the work is being completed by the port’s diver and local tugboat operator. Their bid was the lowest the port received. Other bids were as high as $6,000.

Once the boat is afloat, the port will try to recoup the expense of raising the vessel.

Patton said he tried without success to contact the boat’s owner, Seattle resident Tricia C. Blodgett. A certified letter sent to the address on the boat’s registration was returned to the port. She will have 30 days to claim her boat and will be charged for the cost of raising it.

If she doesn’t act, her boat will be tied to one of the buoys near the wharf. Employees will clean the boat and the port will try to auction it in hopes of gaining back some of the money spent on raising it.

There’s no sunken treasure in this boat. Nevertheless, the Port of Coupeville is working to raise a submerged sailboat that sank near the Coupeville Wharf last month.

The boat, a 28-foot Lancer, went down April 18 after the two people on the boat went ashore and vanished.

Divers spent Monday morning working around the submerged vessel. They attached floats to it during low tide, expecting the rising tides to eventually bring it to the surface and allow workers to pull it closer to shore, said Jim Patton, executive director for the Port of Coupeville.

“We’re fortunate we got a midday low tide followed by reasonably high tides,” Patton said as he watched from the coffee shop at the Coupeville Wharf as a divers worked to raise the sailboat. He said the pleasant weather made work easier for the diver.

It was expected to take several days for the sailboat to rise to the surface. If all goes according to plan, it will cost the Port of Coupeville about $1,000 for the work.

Patton said the work is being completed by the port’s diver and local tugboat operator. Their bid was the lowest the port received. Other bids were as high as $6,000.

Once the boat is afloat, the port will try to recoup the expense of raising the vessel.

Patton said he tried without success to contact the boat’s owner, Seattle resident Tricia C. Blodgett. A certified letter sent to the address on the boat’s registration was returned to the port. She will have 30 days to claim her boat and will be charged for the cost of raising it.

If she doesn’t act, her boat will be tied to one of the buoys near the wharf. Employees will clean the boat and the port will try to auction it in hopes of gaining back some of the money spent on raising it.

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5058.

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