» Port won't miss 51-ton headache

By Steve McCasland
Staff Writer
Sunday, June 28, 2009 | 1 comment(s) Built in Canada in 1912, the 60-foot-long trawler Marie Ann Gail presumably fished West Coast waters for years before being abandoned in Bandon’s marina.

Probably an attractive piece of craftsmanship when first built, by the time the 97-year-old vessel took its last journey, it had had no TLC for years and had become an ugly black and rusting hulk.

After spending considerable time and money making sure it remained afloat for the past several years — Port of Bandon staff waved goodbye to the floating nightmare on June 9, when it was towed to Charleston for dismantling.

Based for a time in Blaine, Wash., the boat left the commercial fishing industry via a government buy-out.

“The federal government bought the vessel’s documentation and fishing permit in the early 2000’s as part of efforts to thin the trawl fleet,” explained Gina Dearth, port general manager.

The owner of the MAG sold it to a Noti couple that dreamed of fixing it up for private use. They sailed it from Washington to Bandon in November of 2004, then rented moorage from the port. With their vessel safely berthed at Bandon, the couple returned home. After that, they were unable to spend much time at the marina taking care of their dream. It wasn’t long before they suffered some financial problems and fell behind on their moorage payments.

Since the owners were unable to deal with the vessel, port staff was forced to.

“We had to respond to late-night calls that the boat was listing or that it had broken lines that needed to be secured,” Dearth remembers. “We built that one dock specifically for the Marie Ann Gail so we could (visually) keep tabs on its floating status.”

The MAG had a slow leak in its hull, requiring staff to constantly run bilge pumps. Dearth said the staff was grateful the vessel didn’t sink in the December 2007 Bandon Gale.

The Noti couple paid $302 in moorage fees five years ago, but the port received no additional moorage income after that.

By May of 2006, the port was owed nearly $4,000 in back moorage and labor and maintenance expenses, so it foreclosed and tried to sell the vessel at public auction. No bids were received. Two purchases and subsequent salvaging followed, and then two plans to get rid of the boat fell through. By early 2007, the MAG was abandoned again and had totally become the port’s responsibility. For the past 18 months, Dearth has sought funding from the Oregon State Marine Board and the Department of State Lands, through a program that helps with costs associated with the removal of abandoned clunkers.

“Because of all the environmental issues involved in breaking up and dismantling a vessel like this, and because we have no way to haul her out, we couldn’t do the work ourselves,” Dearth said.

Eventually, a deal was made that resulted in the MAG being towed to Giddings Boatworks in the Charleston Shipyard for dismantling and salvage, at a cost of $17,400, of which the port was required to pay 25 percent ($4,350).

The crew of the tugboat Coos Bay (skippered by Bandon’s Jeff Palmer) put a bridle on the MAG on June 8, then returned with the tug the next day and towed the derelict over the Coquille River bar. It was a windless day with flat water, and the departure took place without a hitch — with Dearth heaving a sigh of relief as she watched it go.

“We’re keeping closer tabs on moorages now and on other expenses in the boat basin,” Dearth added. “And we’ll do everything in our power to make sure this never happens again.”