The Queen of Sheba, a disabled 105-foot wooden boat built in 1943, is now in the possession of the state Department of Natural Resources and moored at the Port of Bremerton. We applaud the efforts of the several agencies that, working through the state’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program, removed a hazard and the risks it posed to our fragile marine environment.
The state’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program law (RCW Chapter 79.100) is a good law and it takes measures to protect the marine environment as well as the rights of boat owners. But there are some holes in local derelict-vessel response that need to be plugged.
DNR should designate a Derelict Vessel Removal Program coordinator for the area, within the city or port district, so derelict vessel removal can be coordinated more immediately. On Day 1, the Poulsbo Police Department should have towed the vessel to the Port of Poulsbo Marina, with DNR then alerted that the port had possession of a derelict vessel. As it stood, local agencies didn’t act as fast as they could have because they were waiting to hear from DNR.
DNR’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program coordinator was not immediately available, and Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson credits the work of state Rep. Drew Hansen’s office in connecting local authorities with the right people at the state agency. But by the time the boat was moored at the Port of Poulsbo Marina, several days has passed.
The Queen of Sheba was without rudder or power when heavy winds broke it free from its anchorage in Liberty Bay Dec. 9. The boat drifted, colliding with a sailboat and then grounding at the north end of Liberty Bay, not far from where Dogfish Creek meets the bay. Residents reported seeing the boat grounded earlier at Lemolo.
Ultimately, a private contractor towed the boat to the Port of Poulsbo Marina, where it remained in port possession until the state Department of Natural Resources took custody of the boat and towed it to Bremerton. The owners must make the boat seaworthy and pay the costs associated with recovering, towing and mooring the vessel. If they don’t do so by Jan. 12, the boat could be scrapped.
Clearly, a grounded boat that is without anchor, power or rudder poses “a reasonably imminent threat” and should be taken possession of immediately. But because of jurisdictional issues, the Queen of Sheba languished at the head of the bay for two days, and then at Lemolo for another day. It beached on two occasions and collided with a sailboat. Clearly, this could have gotten worse, and fast.
Designating a local derelict vessel program coordinator would take care of that.
