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Boat washes ashore after storm in Pinellas County
Kailey Tracy reports
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - When Kevin Bates said he was sailing to the beach, he didn’t mean literally, but that’s just what happened Wednesday night.
"At nine in the morning on Thursday, I got a call from the Treasure Island police, and they told me to come get my boat," Bates said. "It was washed up on shore. My anchor line had broke, and then the boat floated ashore."
Bates lives on the boat and is staying on it while he moves it off of the beach. He wasn’t onboard when Wednesday night’s storms pushed it onto Treasure Island. He tried to paddle board back to it from land, but the wind and the waves were too strong.
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The boat was docked in the Gulf near Caddy’s.
"I just started digging yesterday and I've made tremendous progress. I just wish I would have started digging a couple of days earlier," Bates said.
He said he’s grateful to strangers who’ve stopped to help.
"This gentleman just stopped and [asked] if I needed a helping hand, I said, ‘Yeah.’ So, it's been two days of digging, a pretty tough, pretty tough job. But like I said, the first couple of days, I just wasn't sure what to do. I had to absorb what happened," Bates said.
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He said he knows one motor is still working, but won’t know the extent of any damage until he sets sail again.
"At about one in the morning, I do have a favorable tide and I do believe this boat is coming off the beach tonight," Bates said.
Until then, he’s staying positive.
"I’m not going to let it disrupt my life, but I will be getting a heavier anchor, and I'll probably be switching over to 100% chain instead of rope," Bates said.
While Bates is moving his boat, Pinellas County officials said the county has paid to remove about 80 derelict vessels over the past few years. The county can’t legally take any action until a law enforcement agency investigates an abandoned boat, gives the owner or potential owner 21 days to request a hearing or move the boat, classifies the boat as derelict and gives the ok to remove the boat.