Neighbors annoyed by boat stuck in Cape Coral canal

Crews were working to remove a boat out of a canal that was flipped on its side. And those who live nearby are not happy that the boat has been there.

So many might wonder why the owner can’t just come get his flipped boat? Well, that’s because he’s sitting in a jail cell right now, according to Cape Coral police.

Joe Kennedy lives a peaceful life at Sunset Towers. If something is out of line, out of whack, topsy-turvey or if that’s a nautical nuisance of sorts, he’d surely notice.

He’s also quite proud to be a boat owner. “So that’s your boat right there?” asked WINK News reporter Michael Hudak. “Yeah!”Kennedy responded.

So, who’s boat was just sitting outside? “Somebody who had it out in the basin apparently,” said Kennedy.

People at Sunset Towers tipped off WINK News that the boat was tipped at a 45° angle in the middle of a canal. “It was a novelty at first. It wasn’t so bad when it was upright,” Kennedy said.

But it’s not looking too good anymore. “Now it’s become quite an eyesore,” Kennedy said.

It has even become a tourist attraction. That’s why Kurt Hazekamp showed up. “There was a guy standing there looking down the canal. I saw the sailboat tipped over. So I just stopped by that. I take a look at it,” Hazekamp said.

So, Hudak called the Cape Coral Police Department, and apparently, everyone sprung into action. Cape Coral PD’s marine unit showed up and said the boat had been sitting there for a few months. It tipped over during low tide in the middle of a storm.

So, while many have tried, they couldn’t get it back upright. They told WINK News that crews would be back on Wednesday with heavier equipment.

For Hazekamp, the faster, the better. “I don’t know if there’s any fuel in it from maybe a gas motor or something, or a diesel, or even a stove,” said Hazekamp. “It could be polluting our waters more than what they are already.”

You might be thinking: If the owner is in jail, then who is responsible for that boat? For now, the boat is considered derelict, which refers to “vessels that are dilapidated with an identifiable owner.”

The marine unit is trying to pump the water out of the boat and get it sitting upright again. Then, they’ll go through the weeks-long process that eventually will end with them taking ownership of the boat.

After that, they can do whatever they want with it.