OCEAN PARK — “All hands were on sand” on Monday, April 29, when Port of Peninsula and county personnel removed a derelict vessel from the beach near Surfside.

The aging Chris Craft cruiser operated by Michael Bonome ran aground April 12. According to reporting by other news outlets, including KPTV in Portland, he had operated the boat on lakes and rivers and thought he’d give the ocean a try. When the “waves were getting pretty big and scary,” he tried to head for the shore — but the boat started overheating and then the engine shut down.

While on the way to drop the anchor, he realized his dog had fallen overboard. “An even bigger wave came and hit me,” he recalled. “Knocked me in. Now, I’m in there swimming for my life.” He was able to grab onto the boat and ride it to the beach.

He went into the cabin to change clothes and, upon emerging, found quite a surprise. An ambulance had been summoned, someone rescued his dog and people were picking up loose items from his boat.

“With the power of love from God,” he said, “there was a community of people here waiting to help me. I couldn’t believe it … the love that is outpouring is overwhelming.”

Vessel removal

Only the vessel itself remained to be picked up after Bonome’s protracted efforts to refloat it proved to be ineffective.

The port was contacted last week to see if it would be willing to offer some heavy equipment and manpower to remove the leisure craft. The port’s executive director, Jay Personius, and other port staff led the charge, which involved a heavy crane, a boat trailer and front loader.

The equipment was escorted from the port to the beach at about 9:30 a.m.

“Shortly after 10 a.m., all equipment was on site,” onlooker Bonnie Cozby said. “Men started digging to remove sand in order to create tunnels for the straps to be pulled through under the boat. It appeared there was some trial and error by the port team, but they persevered.”

“The certified driver of the big equipment really knew his stuff and was invaluable in the process. The sheriff’s department kept traffic flow and pedestrian safety in place on the beach. There were many, many vehicles on the beach to watch. Some people walked to the area; others biked.”

Port Commissioners Phil Martin, Bill Derion and Chuck Mikkola were at the scene along with Pacific County Sheriff Daniel Garcia, the undersheriff, two or three deputies and Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott McDougall. Washington State Parks personnel were also present for the removal from the state-owned beach.

Quite a show

In addition to Bonome and his dog, the vessel was inhabited by chickens.

“Many in the crowd were concerned for the chickens thought to still be on board, but later it was mentioned they had possibly already been removed,” Cozby said. “Lots of peanut gallery comments about what they were seeing.”

“Lots of unspoken advice amongst the viewers. The popular view, however, was that they were thankful to the agencies involved that the boat was gone,” she added.

There was such a large gathering — estimated at up to 200 at the peak — that as the hours plodded on, many of the crowd started saying things like, “I should have brought drinks and snacks to sell, “We need a porta-potty,” “Someone should set up a keg,” and “Where are the hot dogs and beer?”

Fascinating process

Cozby and others were mesmerized by the removal process.

“The first attempt to lift the boat, using straps and one of the port’s cradle apparatuses suspended from the crane, failed when the cradle bowed/bent,” she said. “There were a couple very loud sounds when this happened. After more digging that freed the propeller area, a second effort using cables and straps attached by shackles & pulleys directly to the crane worked, and the boat was slowly lifted. People applauded and some started to leave, but most stayed.”

“Now the boat was in the air, not far off the ground. The gentleman who drove both big rigs moved from the crane to the trailer and positioned it into place,” she continued. “He left a man in the trailer vehicle in case slight adjustments were needed, then popped back to the crane driver seat and slowly swung the boat around to the trailer. He then made a few adjustments and the trailer backed under the boat very neatly. The boat was lowered and made secure.”

After the boat was hoisted and pulled off the beach, the removal crew realized it wouldn’t fit through the intersection at Bay and Vernon. The crew plans to remove a top portion of the boat so that it can be transported.

“I did hear from a couple of people that the port will apply to the state for funds to cover the costs incurred today, but that is speculation on their part,” Cozby said.

Washington state has many more derelict vessels than it has money to deal with, but has a disassembly facility for them at the Port of Ilwaco.