PORT TOWNSEND — The auction at Port Townsend Boatyard of the nearly 135-year-old wooden tugboat Elmore drew interest but no bids, putting a vessel with its links to Northwest maritime history closer to salvage and demolition.
The Port of Port Townsend put the Elmore up for public sale on Monday after its owner, Henning Heinemann, died in February, leaving behind $26,627.10 in unpaid fees and other charges.
State statue authorizes port districts to secure and sell vessels with delinquent accounts.
The Elmore began as a steamer in Astoria, Ore., in 1890, carrying cargo for a cannery and transporting people and freight to Alaska during the last days of the Klondike Gold Rush. Converted to a tugboat in 1922, it towed freight around Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the next 65 years.
Sarah Seltzer said she attended the auction because she cared about the Elmore and didn’t want it to be destroyed — its fate if a buyer does not appear.
Seltzer said she had spent a lot of time on the Elmore, cruising to Canada and Alaska and participating in tugboat races in Olympia with Dee and Sara Meek, who purchased the tugboat in 1990 and transformed it into a liveaboard.
Wearing one of Dee Meek’s old burgundy sweatshirts with “Elmore” embroidered in the front in white stitching, Seltzer said saving the vessel requires more than just someone with deep pockets, but someone who has an appreciation for old wooden boats as well.
“She just needs some love,” Seltzer said.
Before bidding opened, port harbormaster Kristian Ferrero said the Elmore was being offered, “as-is, where-is.” The successful bidder would assume any risks associated with its seaworthiness and title history.
In addition to meeting the minimum bid amount of $10,000, a successful bidder would be required to pay a refundable $46,376.15 derelict vessel deposit to remove the Elmore from the boatyard.
Minimum bid amounts at public sales are set at a port’s discretion. Ferrero said the Port of Port Townsend had to factor public interest in saving the Elmore with an understanding of the financial commitment it would take.
“The $10,000 minimum bid and the deposit helps makes sure whoever gets the vessel has the means to take care of it,” he said.
Otherwise, a vessel might end up delinquent again, incurring costs at the public’s expense and setting in motion actions by the port or regulatory agencies like the state Department of Ecology.
John Holbert of Pleasant Harbor said he was ready to purchase the Elmore, but he first wanted to conduct a lien search and look for any hidden legal liabilities.
Holbert, who led the restoration of the 1922 107-foot schooner Merrie Ellen, said he was familiar with the cost and complications involved in rehabilitating a historic vessel.
The funds could be found for the Elmore, Holbert said. It makes no sense to let all that history go to waste, he added.
“It’s pretty sad,” Holbert said. “This boat’s just got to last.”
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
