BRINNON — The state Department of Ecology has fined the owner of Avalon, a 1929 wooden purse seiner, $16,244 after it sank and spilled diesel near Brinnon on Sept. 14.
The owner, Randall Schleich, 56, of Brinnon, said he plans to partially contest the ruling, although he said he doesn’t have the resources to hire legal counsel and accepts responsibility for the spill.
“I am going to contest it because I can’t afford to pay it,” he said.
“They can get a judgment against me, take all my property and force me into foreclosure, but I’d like them to give me the opportunity to pay this off.”
Schleich said that if he can use his remaining resources to acquire a new boat, he could generate enough money to make regular payments.
The fine includes a $5,000 penalty and $11,244 to cover spill cleanup costs.
Ecology’s penalty can be appealed within 30 days to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
In addition, the state Department of Natural Resources is seeking $123,446 from Schleich for recovery of costs to raise the vessel, tow it to Port Townsend and have it dismantled.
The Avalon sank as it was being towed by a 14-foot skiff in the early morning hours.
It ran aground on a sand spit near Pleasant Harbor Marina on Hood Canal and spilled 75 gallons of diesel fuel, Ecology said.
Ecology said the vessel sank after it was hit with crashing waves.
Schleich doesn’t contest that the spill occurred but maintains the water was calm at the time.
He said he was in the middle of installing a new engine in the craft when he was informed by Pleasant Harbor Marina authorities that he needed to move because he had exceeded the 30-day moorage limit.
He said he was forced to move the vessel before it was ready, which led to the severity of the accident.
“It was an accident, an unfortunate set of events,” Schleich said.
“They forced my hand, making me move the boat before I thought it was safe.”
DNR had given Schleich 30 days to come up with a suitable salvage plan that would satisfy the Coast Guard.
At the time, Schleich said he wanted to pay damages and take possession of the vessel, but when he failed to do so, the state confiscated it Oct. 24.
DNR’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program took custody of the Avalon, hiring a contractor to raise the vessel and tow it to Port Townsend, where it was removed from the water and later dismantled.
Schleich said the dismantling process was unnecessary, that he could have marshalled the resources to repair the boat but that its confiscation made that impossible.
“If I could have kept the Avalon, I would have put it back together and gotten it ready to go,” he said.
“I could have put it out on the water and would have had a boat so I could make a living.”
After the boat sank, Schleich said he was told it would cost $35,000 to raise it. When he said he did not have the funds to do so, DNR took over.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
