Ghost ship ends eerie journey on Clinton beach

On a recent cool autumn morning, a small crowd watched as an aging houseboat with peeling blue paint was lifted from the shore of Columbia Beach in Clinton, a mere mile from the ferry route to Mukilteo. Seaweed clung like spider webs to the boat’s hull.

A salvage crew was on South Whidbey to retrieve the Madahy, a derelict and abandoned vessel that the state Department of Natural Resources has been looking to remove from Puget Sound since January.

“We’ve been aware of this boat for some time now,” said Troy Wood, the derelict vessel removal program manager for the DNR. “It’s just been out of our reach because it’s been on private property.”

Kim Knowles watched the “ghost ship” mysteriously drift by her waterfront home in the early hours of Thursday, Sept. 28. Thinking someone onboard might be experiencing a medical emergency, she immediately phoned 911 for help. But it turned out that the vessel was unoccupied, and had been for quite some time.

According to Wood, the Madahy was first spotted near Clinton earlier this year. Not much is known about the boat since no owner or registration information could be found for the approximately 30-foot vessel. Tracing ownership is often difficult; Wood said some owners intentionally remove markings on boats that allow the state to track them down.

“Sometimes they sell these vessels on napkins in corner stores,” he said.

Since 2002, the state DNR has recovered abandoned and derelict vessels as part of a removal program. Boats are prioritized based on threat to human safety and the environment.

In the case of the Madahy, the concern was that it could drift into the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry route. The DNR took emergency temporary possession of the vessel and moved it to a secure location. Knowles gave permission for the boat to be anchored to her beach, and for its eventual removal from her property.

Wood said removal and deconstruction of the Madahy cost around $30,000. Without gaining emergency temporary custody, it would have cost less, but it was unavoidable in this situation. The operation was funded by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant that the Northwest Straits Commission, which is working with the state DNR, received to remove marine debris.

Last year, the state legislature passed a new law that allowed the DNR to collect some of the watercraft excise tax that was previously going to the general fund. This increased the DNR’s budget for the removal program to $10 million per biennium, which will allow the DNR to remove 300 to 400 vessels in a two-year period.

The DNR relies on authorized public entities – such as cities, counties and port districts – to help remove derelict and abandoned vessels. These entities can seek reimbursement for removal.

“That would increase our team tenfold if all of the authorized public entities were to contribute,” Wood said.

Over 300 abandoned and derelict boats are on the DNR’s vessel of concern list. This year, three others have been removed near Whidbey Island.

To meet the definition of abandoned, a boat must be in a local area of five miles more than 30 days or more than 90 days in a 365-day period. To be derelict, a vessel must be in violation of clearly established rules for that area, or in the process of sinking or breaking up.

If left in the water, these boats can pose a danger to other watercraft. They also slough off hazardous materials into the environment, which get absorbed into lower lifeforms and become more concentrated as it goes up the food chain.

“It’s a threat to everything, really,” Wood said. “It’s not only a threat to the animals that are spawning on the beaches, but it’s a threat to the other animals that are eating them as well as us.”

The Madahy looks like something that was built in the 70s, which could mean lead and asbestos in the paint, Wood said.

Anyone can report an abandoned or derelict vessel by calling the removal program’s message line at 360-902-2628 or by using the online reporting tool, dnr.wa.gov/vessel-reporting.

Additionally, owners looking to safely get rid of their boats can take advantage of the DNR’s free turn-in program by filling out an application on the DNR’s website.

Photo by David Welton A salvage crew arrived Tuesday morning to tow the Madahy away.

Photo by David Welton The Madahy was perilously close to the Clinton ferry run, which marked it as a priority for removal.

Photo by David Welton The state Department of Natural Resources authorized the removal of an abandoned and derelict vessel, known as the Madahy, this week.