Neverland Damaged - Radical Change of Plans

The last weekend in November, Jim and I loaded up the Subaru with boat stuff and began the drive to Green Cove Springs Marina in Florida where Neverland, our sailboat, had spent 6 months in dry storage, patiently awaiting our arrival.  The plan was to do some minor repairs/upgrades (new motor mounts, electrical connection maintenance, installing new solar panels we'd bought for the bimini), before launching Neverland and heading back down the east coast of Florida.

Weather permitting, we'd planned to cruise south slowly, spending time in several places we especially enjoyed last year, from St Augustine to Miami. We'd planned to spend Christmas and New Years in Fort Lauderdale, and all of January in Miami and Coconut Grove, flying to San Fransisco to see my son Jake in late January, returning to Delaware for the birth of Laura and Curtis's twins in March and then probably crossing in Neverland to the Bahamas for the spring. 

The good news is that on the way south we had a wonderful couple of days with my sister and brother-in-law at Hilton Head, where we biked and walked a lot, shared some great meals, and laughed a lot, as usual. We then continued to Green Cove Springs in northern Florida, arriving at the boat December 1. 

The bad news is that we discovered that the boat had been broken into and the main hatch left open. The boat had 6” - 9” of oily water above the cabin sole and all surfaces below were thickly covered with mold, having been exposed to a lot of rain and moisture, probably  all summer and fall. Here's a brief glimpse inside the boat near the base of the companionway ladder. Heartbreaking. The water was above the level of the engine oil pan and flooded many of the lockers and other spaces low in the boat.

We immediately called the police and our insurance company, and the marina pumped out the water. As the water receded and access to the boat became possible, it was discovered that the headliner in the galley area had been roughly cut open in a jagged circle to expose the nuts and bolts on the underside of one of the winches in the cabin top. Two nuts had been removed, but the winch had been left in place. However, by leaving the companionway hatch open, the boat was left exposed to the weather. Every surface - from the cabin headliner to the inside of every locker, nook and cranny - is filled with heavy toxic mold from months of heavy rain and summer heat.

Green Cove Springs Marina is unaware of when the break-in may have happened, but the water level and degree of mold in the boat indicate that it must have been several months ago. The water level at the engine compartment was 9”, above the oil pan and up to the transmission dipstick. The engine is badly rusted on all visible parts. 

After marina staff pumped out the water and moved Neverland to the work area of the yard, we began unloading all stuff for assessment (damaged? ok?) and inventory. We took dozens of photos. The insurance company's surveyor inspected the boat on 12/04 and told us the insurance company should be setting aside a minimum of $50,000 for restoration of the interior, replacement of all electronics, the refrigeration (compressor was under water), damaged belongings, etc.  We've been told by several people that the engine may be salvageable with a "flush and pickle" process, but it's badly rusted on all exposed surfaces and frankly we'd rather just be able to replace the engine to avoid future problems. Even if the engine is salvageable, the transmission is shot. 

The incredible thing about all this is that nothing was stolen from the boat. Nothing.  All the damage is the result of breaking in and then leaving the boat open to rain and hot weather for months and months. The degree of mold is very unsettling. The photo below shows the open teak door to the head and the hanging locker doors on the left.

This photo is of part of the galley - rusty water stains on the stove cover, moldy teak cupboards with doors that won't shut anymore, filthy surfaces everywhere.  

A couple of days after the discovery of the damage, we got the ok from our insurance company to have the boat trucked to the manufacturer (Pacific Seacraft) 8 hours north in Washington, North Carolina. We arranged for a trucker to move the boat and spent a couple of long days preparing it for hauling. Pacific Seacraft got ready to receive it and also to store all our boat stuff while the boat is being refurbished. We rented a 12' moving truck and loaded all our boat stuff into it for the move. 

Here is Neverland with the unstepped and wrapped mast alongside. It took us quite a while to remove and secure the wind generator, radar, dinghy engine, wifi antenna, and so on and so on.  Thanks goodness Jim and I work well as a team. Doing all this stuff kept us from thinking too much about what will happen once the boat is in the hands of Pacific Seacraft and we return to Annapolis.  

On Saturday about 4 pm the boat was loaded onto the truck...

Yesterday I drove our Subaru the 8 hours to Washington, NC, Jim drove the rental moving truck, and the trucker began the trip north with the boat. Today we unloaded our belongings into a storage area inside the Pacific Seacraft building, return the little rental truck and then met with Pacific Seacraft's general manager. Until he sees the boat when it arrives tomorrow morning, it's not possible to say what will have to be done, how long it will take and how much it will cost. Another more detailed inspection will be done here for the insurance company as well. 

By tomorrow we may be able to return to Annapolis and begin the paperwork to follow-up on all this mess. We have good insurance but are incurring additional expenses ourselves, so we may decide to take legal action against the marina. We have followed up with the police and an attorney in Jacksonville FL with a marine law practice.  We learned from the police in Green Cove Springs, and from other boaters at the marina and employees there that so far several dozen break-ins have been discovered this year - a new unsettling development at the marina. The marina owner first learned of boats being broken into almost 2 months ago, but has not taken any action to figure out how many boats are damaged or how to better protect the premises. He has not cooperated with the police, who advised right after the first break-in was discovered to check all boats for damage, contact owners, and beef up surveillance at the marina. The police and marina employees are embarrassed by the break-ins and thefts, angry with the owner, and more than dismayed for those who have suffered losses. Several boats have had winches and other gear stolen, and many have been damaged with water and mold from being left open to the elements.  

All this is emotionally and physically draining, but we are ok and in pretty good spirits, considering. We won't know for a while what will happen with Neverland and with our change in plans, so just wish us well and we'll try to keep in touch once we know more. 

All the best for the holidays - 

Cynthia and Jim