Abandoned Cape Coral sailboat washes up during Hurricane Ian, concerns neighbors

An abandoned sailboat washed up during Hurricane Ian and still sits alongside Cape Coral homes nearly five months later. 

And neighbors worry that the more the sailboat leans it could damage property or hurt someone if it falls. 

For years living in Cape Coral has been paradise for Roy Heckman and his neighbor Jeremy Gluck. 

“The best thing I ever did was buy a lot down here in 1979,” Heckman said.

“It’s probably as close as you can get down to the Sanibel causeway from here, you’re probably five to 10 minutes out, and it’s just beautiful direct access. gorgeous view,” Gluck said.

But that was until Hurricane Ian changed things. 

“This boat has shown up, you know, right after the storm,” Gluck said.

“We were just figured somebody untied somewhere, and it just went adrift and landed here,” Heckman said. 

The abandoned sailboat with no clear owner has become not only an eyesore but a safety concern to homeowners on the canal.

“I’m afraid that beam is going to come down and then destroy my dock altogether… it could drop any time and maybe hit a boat going by and cause some real damage to people you know,” Heckman said.

Heckman and Gluck said it has been a neighborhood effort but calls to the city, coast guard, and other agencies have gone nowhere. 

“They’ve called, we’ve called, these guys called the guy from Germany, who owns this place has called. ..it’s a lot of phone calls and a lot of circles,” Gluck said.

“I don’t know what to do. Somebody needs to know what to do. Just get it out of here,” Gluck said. 

Neighbors said numerous people have come out to survey the boat but have left without taking action. They know there are still plenty of abandoned boats needing attention but feel because of the safety risks, this should be a high priority.