PORT ANGELES — A boat that was marooned in Port Angeles Harbor for eight weeks is finally high and dry.
The badly-damaged 36-foot Montana Drifter was towed from its partially-submerged state near the Rayonier property to the Port Angeles Marina on Saturday afternoon.
Jay Ketchum, owner of Affordable Services of Sequim and a professional diver, was hired by the state Department of Natural Resources to raise, secure and tow the grounded vessel to the marina, where it will be disassembled and taken to dumps and scrap yards.
“That is the final destination,” Ketchum said.
The boat was pulverized by rocks near the foot of Ennis Street in a Dec. 14 windstorm.
Most of the hull was ripped apart. A pump was hanging from the bow, and three-and-a-half feet of silt filled the portions of the boat, Ketchum said.
“It really took a beating,” he said.
DNR contacted Ketchum about moving the boat about week ago, he said. They agreed to a contract ranging between $4,000 and $6,000 to move the boat, Ketchum said.
The final amount he bills DNR will depend upon the hours and equipment needed, he said.
The boat’s owner, Franklin Gasper, received a letter from the DNR on Jan. 17 ordering him to move the boat. Gasper said he wouldn’t move it, saying he lacked the money.
Gasper lived aboard the Montana Drifter before it ran ashore. He says he sold the boat to a man named Don at Castaways lounge on Marine Drive, but he doesn’t know the man’s last name or have a record of the transaction.
Gasper was being fined $8.11 per day by the DNR, which was set to declare the Montana Drifter derelict on Feb. 16.
A DNR spokeswoman was unavailable for comment on Saturday.
Floated to marina
For the two-mile trip to port, Ketchum and his crew fastened the boat and its loose engine to six large lift bags, each of which is capable of floating 25,000 pounds.
The crew used flood lights and worked until 3:30 a.m. Saturday to jar the boat loose from its purchase on the bottom of the harbor, stabilize and dock it at the former mill site on Rayonier property at the foot of Ennis Street.
The boat was embedded in sand but surrounded by large boulders, Ketchum said.
“It was like she was in a fortress,” Ketchum said. “She did not want to come to town.”
The early-morning rescue was timed with a high tide.
Saw sheen
During the rescue, Ketchum said he noticed oil or diesel in the water. He couldn’t estimate how much oil had spilled, but said the tank on board was empty. He had not reported the oil as of Saturday.
Oil was also seen at the marina where the boat was lifted out of the water by a TraveLift.
The crew used a 23-foot Boston Whaler with two 70 horsepower outboard engines to tug the Montana Drifter around the City Pier to the marina, which took close to six hours.
“The crew really took care of me out there,” said Ketchum, referring to Brent Brisch, Tyler Hodge, Aaron McMahan and James McMahan.
A second boat with air compressor followed at the stern, constantly monitoring and adjusting the lift bags to keep the Montana Drifter stable.
“We didn’t want any more oil or diesel in the water,” Ketchum said.
As slow as it was, the crew was aided in the towing process by a northeast wind and, for a while, a favorable current.
By 3 p.m., the battered boat was sitting on the lift at the Port of Port Angeles.
The Montana Drifter was one of three boats that grounded in Port Angeles Harbor on Dec. 14. The other two boats were quickly salvaged and anchored in the harbor.
A passerby starred at the Montana Drifter as it made its way around the City Pier at 1 p.m.
“Good riddance,” the man said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com
