MUKILTEO — There’s a new conversation starter at the city’s Lighthouse Park that has nothing to do with charging for parking.
A sailboat beached on the Mukilteo waterfront has become a backdrop for countless cellphone self-portraits since running aground last week. The approximately 25-foot-long vessel rests awkwardly on its hull and keel near the boat launch.
There’s been no sign, so far, that the owner intends to reclaim it.
“It’s a real shame that people aren’t responsible for themselves,” said Michael Wilhelm, 62, who strolled by Saturday.
Authorities said the abandoned boat poses no immediate threat to vessels on the water or to the environment. It’s unclear how long it will remain in place.
The boat had been tied up nearby before it broke loose and washed onto the beach on Monday night or Tuesday morning. It has a registration sticker that’s valid through June.
The U.S. Coast Guard considers removing the boat a salvage operation and therefore outside of its jurisdiction, Chief Petty Officer David Mosley said.
That leaves the state Department of Natural Resources in charge. There was no immediate word from the state on a timetable for removal.
The DNR 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 during the fall.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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