Abandoned sailboat removed after months on the Sea Girt beach
The 30‑foot Catalina, called The Alestrom, became stranded last September after its captain left Staten Island bound for Cocoa Beach and was pushed off course by a storm.
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A 30‑foot sailboat stranded on the Sea Girt beach since last summer was removed this morning after sitting in place for six months.
The captain planned to sail from Staten Island to Cocoa Beach, Florida, but the boat broke a rudder, went off course and crashed on the beach last September.
Sea Girt received a court order allowing the borough to take possession of the boat.
A company from Brick lifted the vessel and carried it away. "All we have to do is toss some nylon strings around the boat, choke them off, hook it up to some shackles, pick the thing up and walk it on out of here," said Rocco Corizzo of Kremer Marine.
Mayor Don Fetzer said Sea Girt had to cover the removal cost. He said the borough was awarded fines and court costs totaling about $7,000, adding at the end of the exchange that he was unsure whether the town would recover the money. He estimated the borough paid about $12,000.
Residents welcomed the change. "Everyday I've been coming and watching it slowly deteriorate so it's kind of nice to see it finally go," one man said.
Sea Girt police supported the move. "We're happy with the result to get it out of here before the summer season starts," Chief Justin Macko said at the end of the interview.
Macko said the borough took possession of the boat yesterday morning. "I think the longer it stayed here the more of a nuisance it was going to be," he said.
