Mount P. targets abandoned boats

MOUNT PLEASANT — Crab Bank is supposed to be for the birds, but its shallows also are home to a 50-ton, double-masted sailboat for which there is no record of taxes being paid since 1997.

It is among 35 vessels that police have identified as part of an investigation of abandoned vessels.

In addition to unpaid taxes, safety is a major issue, Police Chief Harry Sewell said today. Eight of the boats are sunken and pose a hazard to recreation. The ones that are floating could become "a missile" in a hurricane, Sewell said.

He presented results of the abandoned boat investigation to Town Council's Police, Judicial and Legal Committee. Council members agreed that abandoned boats are an eyesore, a safety issue and a potential environmental hazard because of the possibility of leaking fuel, but what to do about the issue was unresolved.

Sewell said he hoped that a certified letter to the owners will resolve the situation for about half of the problem boats. "The rest of them will take some time," he said.

The town is close to being approved for $48,000 in state funds to remove six of the vessels. The committee considered whether to approve an ordinance that would fine abandoned boat owners up to $1,000. It also would give authorities the option of imposing a 30-day jail term.

Read more in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.