Some Admirals Cove neighbors woke up Sunday to find an unusual sea creature stranded on the beach — an approximately 30-foot two-masted sailboat, lying on the side of its keel like a resting seal.

When resident Lisa Peterson first saw the boat on her way back from a walk with her husband and dog, she thought it was abandoned. Though she did not get much closer to the vessel, she did take a photo to share with the Admirals Cove on Whidbey Facebook group.

Like Peterson, Leah Alden-Jaswal called on Facebook users in the Alert Whidbey 2.0 group after noticing the boat at 7:30 in the morning, prompting some creative jokes.

“At first I was worried that somebody had fallen overboard, or washed ashore,” Alden-Jaswal said.

She noticed a group of people on the site and didn’t intervene.

“Nobody was running around, so I didn’t think they needed another nose involved, they were already taking care of it,” she added.

According to Detective Ed Wallace with the Island County Sheriff’s Office, the owner of the boat didn’t properly anchor the boat, and he fell asleep. As a result of the tides retreating, the sailor’s failed anchoring — and their sleepiness — the boat beached.

Once the tide rose again that afternoon surrounding the vessel, the sailboat was able to return to its habitat, free at last.

Alden-Jaswal was surprised she didn’t see the Coast Guard or another entity on the site to take care of the boat, while Peterson wasn’t expecting the boat to return back to the water and sail away so soon and easily.

According to Wallace, the sailor was not fined, as the stranding did not cause any harm to people and the surrounding environment. To avoid similar incidents, Wallace recommends securing the boat to a dock or making sure the boat is well anchored at distance from the shore.

Leah Alden-Jaswal said she first saw the completely beached boat Sunday at 7:30 a.m.. (Photo provided) Leah Alden-Jaswal said she first saw the completely beached boat Sunday at 7:30 a.m.. (Photo provided)