Never had this happen before

[slowgoesit]

They simply identified a group of boats anchored in an area and having no one aboard at the time they checked. Erroneously, they lumped them all together and sent the information in to be followed up on. It got delayed for 9 months and at least one boat in the group was long gone and was never abandoned. You would have thought they would have identified the boats and then returned some time later to see if still there before calling abandoned. Ultimately, no harm, no foul, and I applaud the lady who so easily resolved the problem.

But you can bet that his boat is part of the tally that they will use when showing how bad their "abandoned boat" problem is . . . . and possibly use it for justification for laws like GA's failed law recently.

 

[O C Diver]

Maybe a different way to look at it.

Many states (Georgia as an example) have a long drawn out process for dealing with derelict, abandoned or squatter boats. While they aren't following normal procedures, they are taking a legal proactive approach to tell the owners of these vessels they're being actively being kept track of. Kind of like the police acknowledging people sitting in a car at 3AM in a residential neighborhood. If you're not behaving appropriately, might be time to move somewhere else.

Ted

 

[catalinajack]

How is it that a boat tied up to the Marina's docks could possibly be determined to be abandoned? Something doesn't add up.

 

[wkearney99]

How is it that a boat tied up to the Marina's docks could possibly be determined to be abandoned? Something doesn't add up.

He did specifically mention being anchored in the creek.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=904737&postcount=22

...After visiting Beaufort town dock we anchored in Factory Creek. In the afternoon we took the dinghy to Ladys Island Marina and asked to tie there while we when for groceries. Our boat was abandoned for 1.5 hrs that day while we shopped at Publix's.

I'd still recommend an inquiry to the SC state representative's office.

https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/legislative-delegation/state-representatives.html

Because this is very likely not a one-off mistake. Someone else out there is going to miss this error, and end up with a bureaucratic mess on their hands.

 

[SoWhat]

I'd put in a claim for salvage rights.

 

[OldDan1943]

Remember how the LEO used to enforce the one hour parking restrictions? Cop would come by on a 3-wheel motor cycle and a chalk stick? The cop had a 1 hour path. When he came back by and the car was still there, presto a parking ticket.
Maybe they should be start chalk marking boats too. LOL

 

[healhustler]

Wait a minute. Wasn’t Ted‘s boat anchored in Factory Creek sometime in November 2019?
It could’ve been an honest mistake!

Imagine yourself as a water cop coming up on an anchorage, blinded by Ted’s gleaming Cherubini parked in the middle. It easy to understand how the surrounding vessels could be mistaken for derelicts.

Lesson: Don’t anchor near Ted!

 

[O C Diver]

Wait a minute. Wasn’t Ted‘s boat anchored in Factory Creek sometime in November 2019?
It could’ve been an honest mistake!

Imagine yourself as a water cop coming up on an anchorage, blinded by Ted’s gleaming Cherubini parked in the middle. It easy to understand how the surrounding vessels could be mistaken for derelicts.

Lesson: Don’t anchor near Ted!

Did I tell you I've been house shopping in Longboat Key?

Ted

 

[CaptTom]

I tend to agree with the folks who see this as a (relatively) good thing. Some water cop came by a known anchorage for derelicts and wrote down the identifying information for any which had no-one aboard. That information was forwarded up the chain for further action. The next step, albeit delayed by COVID, was to send a letter formally asking the owner to remove the boat or pay removal costs.

I'm not even sure I fault the water cop on scene. Is it his/her job to determine which is a "derelict" and which isn't? I like the "just the facts ma'am" approach.

If every jurisdiction used this process, there would be very little derelict boat problem. I'd rather have states doing this than prohibiting or charging for anchoring.

 

[psneeld]

I tend to agree with the folks who see this as a (relatively) good thing. Some water cop came by a known anchorage for derelicts and wrote down the identifying information for any which had no-one aboard. That information was forwarded up the chain for further action. The next step, albeit delayed by COVID, was to send a letter formally asking the owner to remove the boat or pay removal costs.

I'm not even sure I fault the water cop on scene. Is it his/her job to determine which is a "derelict" and which isn't? I like the "just the facts ma'am" approach.

If every jurisdiction used this process, there would be very little derelict boat problem. I'd rather have states doing this than prohibiting or charging for anchoring.

 

[rslifkin]

I tend to agree with the folks who see this as a (relatively) good thing. Some water cop came by a known anchorage for derelicts and wrote down the identifying information for any which had no-one aboard. That information was forwarded up the chain for further action. The next step, albeit delayed by COVID, was to send a letter formally asking the owner to remove the boat or pay removal costs.

I'm not even sure I fault the water cop on scene. Is it his/her job to determine which is a "derelict" and which isn't? I like the "just the facts ma'am" approach.

If every jurisdiction used this process, there would be very little derelict boat problem. I'd rather have states doing this than prohibiting or charging for anchoring.

Agreed. It probably costs them less to send out the letters and wait for a response than to come up with a system of assessing which boats have been there for a while or appear to be in bad condition, etc.

 

[slowgoesit]

Remember how the LEO used to enforce the one hour parking restrictions? Cop would come by on a 3-wheel motor cycle and a chalk stick? The cop had a 1 hour path. When he came back by and the car was still there, presto a parking ticket.
Maybe they should be start chalk marking boats too. LOL

Yep, and as kids, we'd go around just in front of the meter guy and, using the same color chalk, we'd mark EVERY car on the same tire! We were rotten kids! Got caught one time, meter guy said he was going to have us arrested for defacing private property . . . my friend politely told him that he'd then have to have HIMSELF arrested as well, as we didn't do anything that HE wasn't already doing . . . my Father found out, and I couldn't sit down for a week. Crummy part about it was he was laughing about it . . . while spanking me . . . . Life's tough sometimes.

Moral of the story: Don't get caught!

 

[Catskinner]

You’re an unbelievably nice and patient person. I would’ve told them to have at it and charge me double while they’re at it. Would’ve been pretty funny to see them try to collect when you still have the boat. I would’ve sued them for court costs and my time which is extremely expensive at least $1000 an hour LOL

 

[Hankster08]

LOL, that is NOT what is meant by a date stamp (for reasons I would have thought obvious) - no, you buy TODAY's local paper and make the photo with the paper's DATE clearly visible.........just FYI

 

[Caphenning]

Original documentation was lapsed by the second owner and I only have a NJ state registration. I don't want to seem difficult but I think the burden of proof is on them. Photographs of the boat in question. HIN Plate-- Transom with Name and hailing port. How about a picture of the nj state registration numbers. Don't see how they could all match. The boat is not there. What is it 750 miles away?

While the burden of proof is on them, the costs of defending yourself in court is yours, so the wiser tack to take on this is document the evidence of your vessel being where it is, witnessed by a NJ State Trooper; since this type of stuff of verifying vehicle serial numbers fall on them, although a Notary Public stamp will serve just fine.

Another thing you can do is just go down and collect the boat and sell it.

 

[arthurn]

First of all John, you have a beautiful vessel.
2nd it would seem to me that it is relatively simple to take a picture of the boats anchored and when you cruise by the following day or week, look to see if they are still there.

Unless you are in a no anchorage area it would seem a little presumptuous to assume that any boat anchored without a person on board has been abandoned, particularly when the boat is in as good as condition as yours is. If anything, they should assume it was stolen and not abandoned. And lastly, they could have just left a note on the boat and asked you to call them.

Sounds like over zealous policing.

 

[timb7734]

This is not material for conspiracy theories IMO. Florida average costs for removing derelict boats exceeds $100K average inclusive of remediating petroleum safely. I applaud any state that takes this responsibility seriously and attempts to pin it on registered owners who abandoned these vessels.

 

[OldDan1943]

If I lived on a boat, anchored out and work ashore, leaving the boat unoccupied does not mean it is abandoned. We have an anchorage near by where folks live aboard and either work ashore or attend a local college.
I guess there would have to be an understanding with DNR.

 

[Symmetry]

Never say never

Not long ago I purchased a small day sailer with trailer. This required both a boat registration and s trailer registration. Upon attempting to register the trailer with the Bill of Sale I was informed that my recently purchased trailer was reported stolen in a state half way across the country and that the local police had been called. Upon their arrival I had to take them to the trailer for their investigation. I was fortunate enough that the officer assigned has some boat trailer knowledge. He was quickly able to tell that the description of the stolen trailer did not match my newly purchased trailer and reported that to the tag/ registration folks. Everyone concluded that the original theft report included a transposed number. Even with that it took forever to finally get resolved!!

 

[JohnP]

Yeah, I thought about going to collect the boat and sell it or give it away, but I knew there was no boat there. We like the town of Beaufort and spent the day at the town dock, checking out the shops and having a great lunch. (inside dining was great). As I said before the only time we were off the boat at anchor was the grocery run in Factory Creek. About and hour and a half, still can't believe they decided the boat was abandoned during that short time. How do people leave their boats on the hook for days and days? It does appear as if South Carolina has less of an abandoned boat problem than say Florida. I know my date stamp was iffy, and thanks for the positive comment on our boat.

 

[ORIF]

Beaufort is my home port. Everyone here says that area of Factory Creek is where old boats go to die. Several obvious derelict boats are there with at least one sailboat up on the bank for about the last year.

 

[IH82BL8]

Something like this happened to me a few years ago. I got a letter that a car I had previously owned was unlicensed and sitting in a parking garage in Virginia. I had sold the car to someone in Ohio. I called the number and asked if they could send me the pic they had. When they looked at the pic they realized that the license plate was closed to the plate I'd had but was off by one character.

 

[slowgoesit]

Sold a motorcycle in Hawaii to a Navy guy. Two years later, after were had moved to North Carolina, I received a letter from some lawyer that stated I had abandoned a motorcycle in Hawaii, had received a ticket, the lawyers office had "bought" the ticket from Hawaii, and I could make everything go away for $900.00.
I called Honolulu County Licensing, they said, yes, they had a record of the ticket. I faxed them a copy of the report I had filed with them with new sellers info etc, they checked, said, "yes we have a copy of that, but there isn't any mechanism to check current owner with reported sales info . . . They took care of it, and send me confirmation to that affect." Lawyers office sent another letter (I had never contacted them) saying they were going to ruin my credit if I did not pay the $900 (plus new "penalties"). I wrote them a nice certified letter telling them to pack sand, check the validity of their claim with Honolulu, and if I heard from them again, they wouldn't like the results . . . never heard from them again! Imagine that?

 

[bgillroy]

As to apparent derelict vessels, be warned, imo unlikely that water cops will spend time with individual investigations . Authorities of all kinds now tend to set a monolithic procedure to execute on some policy loosely penned by legislatures then throw it out there and see what "sticks". just saying don't look for intelligent individual action from front line authorities anywhere, no matter the condition of your property.