Folly targets wrecksCity says craft are safety hazards and eyesores, and plans to drag them off to a dump By Schuyler Kropf (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Melissa Haneline A double-masted boat sits abandoned at low tide Friday on the bank of a creek that feeds into the Folly River. 
Melissa Haneline Alison DeCamp paddles past one of several abandoned boats on the bank of a creek that connects to the Folly River on Friday. Folly Beach hopes to win a state grant to help pay for the removal of boats like the 'Minnow.' FOLLY BEACH — The big joke around here is that all the abandoned boats in the creeks and marshes belong to people in divorces trying to hide their assets. The truth is that each of the more than one dozen sunken or beached hulks are navigational hazards and environment eyesores. Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr. has had enough. Last week, the city began advertising public notices about all the abandoned boats. To hear Beckmann's tough talk, Folly's marshes aren't somebody else's trash can. If the absentee owners won't remove them, then Folly will. "It's just getting worse," he said Friday. "They're just unsightly, and we don't need that junk." In their heyday, the boats Folly is targeting probably soared in value into the millions of dollars. But today, after months of salt, broken bilges, cut mooring lines and pelican droppings, the armada of cabin cruisers and big sailboats amounts to nothing more than bleached or muddy nautical trash. No one knows who the owners are. Serial and registration numbers are gone or blurred, and the sales path can't be traced. One cabin cruiser sitting high-and-dry in the Folly marsh grass is affectionately known locally as the "SS Minnow" — the result of a random spray-painter's sense of humor and the boat's resemblance to the "Gilligan's Island" wreck. For now, Folly is only giving public notice that the wrecks have to go. The town hopes to win a grant later this year from the state office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management to help pay for the removal cost. The estimated salvage figure runs about $8,000 to $10,000 per boat. For that price, a contractor will lift the hulk, bag it in plastic and take it to a local dump where the fiberglass remnant will be crushed. "By the time they run over it with a bulldozer, it's going to flatten it," Beckmann said. Most of the target boats are in the Folly River, Folly Creek and Cutoff Reach. They are especially hazardous after dark since most of the wrecks don't have active mooring lights or reflectors, cloaking them to any boat running at night. Beckmann said Folly has the authority to unilaterally launch the project since the town's incorporation boundaries stretch across the uninhabited marsh areas on either side of Folly Road, and as far west as the Stono River. Plus, he added, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Natural Resources have shown little inclination to do anything about the problem. The issue of abandoned hulks, and who's responsible for them, has been well-documented around Charleston. In 2006 The Post and Courier wrote about "the Ashley River Triangle," a bureaucratic graveyard of submerged and forgotten vessels near the city and harbor. Though it is illegal to allow a boat to sink in such public waters, the owners are almost never ticketed. That means in many instances, the boats are left to rot until they are ultimately removed as dangers, at government — hence, taxpayers' — expense. This year the state Legislature approved $100,000 for abandoned boat removal. There's also about $75,000 in federal money available as well, said OCRM press spokesman Dan Burger. The grants include a 25 percent match requirement for municipalities and a $50,000 maximum state contribution. "Ideally, we'll be able to fund everything that comes through the door," Burger said, adding that Georgetown is interested in the abandoned boat grants as well. When the Folly project does get stared, the more hazardous high-tide sunken vessels will be targeted first. But once the cleanup is done, Beckmann doesn't plan to stop there. He wants Folly to create an official Folly Beach "harbor master" who'll monitor locally moored and anchored boats, staying in contact with the owners and warning them to be responsible when a storm is coming or when neglect sets in. Beckmann has already started researching the position, checking into similar locally created posts in Mystic, Conn., and Beaufort. One idea is a "sticker" registration system with tags on boats. "We'd like to know who owns them," the mayor said of the moored fleet around the island, and near the Folly boat landing. Folly's legal advertisement calling for the boat removal, which ran in Friday's editions of The Post and Courier, includes GPS coordinates for each of the 13 wrecks that are being targeted first. Additionally, there are other potential targets still afloat, albeit barely. "I hope a lot of people will see that ad and 'I got my boat there too,' and go do something about it," Beckmann said. The mayor added that this is a quality-of-life issue on many different levels, ranging from safety concerns to marsh views and respect for the environment. "We need the oyster beds to be where they are," he said. "Not growing up the side of someone's abandoned vessel." Reach Schuyler Kropf at skropf@postandcourier.com or 937-5551. |
Article tools |
|
Notice about comments: Charleston.net is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Charleston.net does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not charleston.net. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Full terms and conditions can be read here. |
Comments
This article has 22 comment(s)
Posted by Neponset on August 16, 2008 at 5:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I suspect that we are going to see a lot more this - marina’s are too expensive, mooring out sucks, repair of older boats can be overwhelming and more owners will get tired of the hassle and abandon their boats (afer carefully removing the ID numbers, of course).
Posted by Neponset on August 16, 2008 at 6:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
One possible solution would be for towns like Folly to establish anchorages with permanent moorings and a dock where the boat owners could keep their dinghies. This would make the boats more secure and reduce the hassle of getting out to the boats. I am from Massachusetts and it is common along their coast.
Posted by shoelaces on August 16, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
These boats were sunken long before the dockominium craze hit Charleston. And just because you own a boat doesn't mean you should automatically get a slip. If these boat owners can't afford to keep their boat in a marina, guess what? Then they can't afford to keep a boat at all!! These boat owners could, gee, um...sell their boats!!! Problem solved. When we realized we wouldn't be able to afford the upkeep and dock fees that's what we did!!! Sure, they will lose money. It's a boat!!! That's what happens.
I think the dockominium idea is stupid too. I also think those who are struggling to sell slips are realizing this. Marinas that were selling slips are now offering rentals. I would demand my money back had I chosen to buy a slip.
Nobody seemed to care when a 40+ foot houseboat rotted away in the Stono at the mouth of the cut. Folly isn't the only place this happens. Good job for starting to clean it up. It's just a shame we can't fine the hell out of these irresponsible boat owners who trash our waters.
Posted by mkris on August 16, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THere is one picture that looks like the boat that was tied up at teh Anchor LIne. Is that the same boat?
Im no great fan of the City government, but this is a great moment for Carl Beckman. Now if he can do something about all the day trippers,trash and garbage.
Posted by Neponset on August 16, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
mkris
Could be - I seem to recall that the Anchor Line was sold and I am sure that the new owner would not want some old boat on their dock..
Posted by iceman1978 on August 16, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
JohnQ, I agree. I've always grown up around boats and when my father took his boat from Connecticut to Boston we stopped in Rhode Island for the night. The marina was open to the public and they just charged you by the day that you stayed there.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 16, 2008 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wouldn't mind owning a boat. It would be nice to have a sailboat and go around on the harbor. The problem is that I don't know where I would find the time to maintain and upkeep it.
Posted by blah_blah_blah on August 16, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand where Folly is coming from. But I've paddled Folly River before and actually kind of like some of the boats, like the double masted sailboat. Gives a kind of character, but for the navigational and environmental hazards, I say clean it up.
Posted by mkris on August 16, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
WHo is going to pay for the removal. Can they find the last known registered owner and stick them with the bill?
Posted by FinnMcCool on August 16, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
8-10k to get rid of a boat! Just send Public Safety over and they can shoot the boats to death, they've been practicing on cars so we can expect a good outcome.
Posted by follydude on August 16, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
this is really good news. the waterways and rivers have simply become a dumping ground.
a lot of the older boats that initially found themselves on the marsh and sunk were a result of the closing of the former Folly Marina. it closed, to be refurbished and made in to dockominiums, and the less seaworthy boats ended up at anchor in the river or Cutoff Reach. storms and negligence took their toll.
Neponset - after the intial cleanup, i think the City has the plan to manage a mooring field. the pirate-ship looking twin masted deal used to be at the site of the former Anchor Line, the owner moved it for a few years to the Stono, where it blocked a creek to the river. it turned back up by Bowen's Island and now - a hazard to navigation.
as the article mentioned, these vessels either have no registration or the numbers have been ground off. locating the owners is virtually impossible at this point.
Posted by KidYendor on August 16, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Like the old Cooper River Bridge demolition I think dynamiting the vessels would draw a crowd. A price per pound of floating debris could be set for boaters to make money picking up debris , turning it in then going back out for more. Lets try 2 wrecks and see what happens in regards to boater response in helping get rid of them. Planning for tide activity must be taken into account to make for easier pickup.
Posted by Neponset on August 16, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Folly
Thanks for the history lesson on the decline of ketch X. I have seen others buy in on a dream ship/boat only to find that the expense and repairs needed became overwhelming. Working on a boat at a marina is hard enough - can’t imagine trying to do the same while moored out.
Posted by auger on August 16, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
shoelaces said in part "If these boat owners can't afford to keep their boat in a marina, guess what? Then they can't afford to keep a boat at all!! These boat owners could, gee, um...sell their boats!!! Problem solved."
That is a very narrow minded comment. I can afford a boat. I can afford the maintenance and upkeep to keep the boat sea worthy and presentable, and until the recent sale of a couple of local marinas to a dockominium developer, I could also afford the slip. When exactly did owning a boat and enjoying the SC coast and off shore waters become the exclusive privilege of the local elite?
Boating is a way of life for many of us non wealthy folks. It's not just some trendy, or passing, hobby that we fell into. We currently have two options, the North or South anchorages. Both are over crowded and contain many boats owned by folks who have no concept of necessary anchor scope and separation to avoid crossing rodes or making contact with other boats. Now a developer wants to build a new marina on the site of the North anchorage which he readily stated in the press release "will cater to the high end , elite clientelle".
I am sad that you, and so many like you, share the "water is for the wealthy" mindset.
Posted by UrGatorbait on August 16, 2008 at 10:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The edge of America but definitely not the cutting edge.
Posted by olshoreboy on August 17, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My understanding of local marinas is that most are permitted as 'public use'. In order to sell slips, they have to or need to change the permit to 'private use'
Posted by mkris on August 17, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not in Folly, developers and the property rights supporters make the rules to be broken when its to thier advantage. Look around Folly, have you seen ANY enforcement? Parking is a joke. Beach, Drugs and Alcohol are the big draw to day trippers and the short term vacation rentals.
THis may be the first time anyone will look to clean up.... and only because its disrupting the condo and rental views, thereby reducing real estate's continuing ability to rape the community by its developers and real estate interests. Look at the real estate signs ... its like the whole island is for sale and just make an offer. Even the new re-write PROTECTS the real estate interests.
Posted by drp7773 on August 17, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wow Folly beach has parking?????I thought they made it so you think there is legal parking , then the metergutless maids come around and write tickets so they can collect money for their Christmas party.
Posted by zoomru on August 18, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mayor Beckmann......
WHAT ?? You mean to tell me that you are NOW going to do something because a GRANT is available !! MY BACKSIDE !!
8K to 10K per boat ?? Who are you going to have do the work?? Jacque Cousteau ??? Wholly COW !!!
I highly suggest you let some of OUR finest personnel in our TRASH department have a field day with some battery powered SAWs-All !! Give them 5K and watch each beached boat vanish. For those that are submerged, flag down a pile driving barge and have a chat. A good heavy anchor and strong WINCH will do wonders in getting the wreck close enough to the boat landing for OUR trash dept to do the REST!
This PORK should not be used to the benefit of some DEAD BEAT BOATER !!!
Carl....as far as Quality of LIFE is concerned, some of these boats have been junked since HUGO !! ....and I don't see pelicans acting like DEAD Kamikazees !! They are alive and well!
If you have to wait on grant MONEY to figure out a way to do something; that makes you look like a ....RAVENEL'er !!
I have been torching other officials for doing this very STUNT. You as my MAYOR are no different ! GET BUSY !
Posted by BulldogTLC on August 18, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Auger said: "That is a very narrow minded comment. I can afford a boat. I can afford the maintenance and upkeep to keep the boat sea worthy and presentable, and until the recent sale of a couple of local marinas to a dockominium developer, I could also afford the slip."
Well, not trying to say that you don't have a point, but unless you can afford to keep your boat somewhere, you cannot afford it.
Posted by truefolly on August 18, 2008 at 8:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would have to say the BIGGER joke on Folly is you, Mayor Beckman along with your puppet Boatwright and his followers!
Posted by truefolly on August 18, 2008 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Does this mean all abandoned boats including the environmental hazard along Folly Rd? Not that it really matter’s to me one-way or the other, I just think there are other issues Folly should be more concerned with! Good luck in the next election!