We Haul More than Just Shiny Yachts

Boatyard Hauls Sunken Boat

Wait a minute, did Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard just haul the Black Pearl? Well, not quite but it certainly was as crusty as a pirate ship.

Just a little pressure washing and some new bottom paint, right? We think not.

Our boatyard crew hauled a barnacle-encased probably MacGregor 26 this morning and the marine environment is better for it. With veteran Travelift operator Mark Rybin at the controls (don’t bother with pressuring washing this one, Mark), the ruined hulk was lifted out and loaded onto a trailer. It was hauled to Yakima where it will be dismantled and scrapped, reported Mark Lindeman, senior adviser at the boatyard.

The sailboat sank in Port Orchard along with two other boats. Apparently, this and another small boat were tied to a 75-foot boat that sank, dragging the two smaller boats down with it, added the long-time boatyard manager.

“It’s pretty common to see boats anchored out in Sinclair Inlet,” said Lindeman. “We think it’s a MacGregor 26. Rumor has it that it was under water for about six months.”

The crusty wreck was removed by the state’s Department of Natural Resources and towed to Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard, where a DNR contractor took it from there.

“This is the latest example of the Washington State Department of Natural Resource’s efforts to clear our waterways from sunken hazards to navigation and our environment,” said Lindeman.

It’s also the latest example of who-knows-what the boatyard will be asked to haul out. If you remember from a blog in early March, the yard performed a whale of a haulout when a 1- to 2-year-old female gray whale was found dead near Longbranch, Wash.

“Yachts to whales to hulks, we do it all.” – Mark Lindeman, senior adviser at Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard

Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard was called upon to haul out a decomposing 8,000-pound female gray whale in early March. The dead 28.5-foot whale, found in Longbranch, Wash., showed signs of emaciation and attack by killer whales. It was hauled out for scientific research at Seattle Pacific University and Highline College. (Photo by Boatyard Manager Hartwell Champagne)

Again, Mark Rybin was pressed into service, this time for his first dead animal lift, to haul the decomposing 8,000-pound whale out of the harbor for scientific research.

So, it’s not just pretty boats that find their way into the slings of our Travelift.

“Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard doesn’t haul just shiny yachts,” points out Lindeman. “We work with local agencies to help keep our waterways clean. Yachts to whales to hulks, we do it all.”

– Crusty boat photo courtesy of Mark Lindeman