The clock is ticking for a sailboat that washed ashore on Anna Maria Island.
Michigan resident James Golembiewski, the boat’s owner, told The Islander Feb. 16 that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gave him 21 days — until March 7 — to recover the 1981 Young Sun 35-foot sailboat named Lucky Us 2 from the shoreline in Holmes Beach.
If Golembiewski fails to remove the boat or raise the $10,000 needed for a tow, the FWC will remove and dispose of the boat and charge Golembiewski with its cost.
At press time for The Islander on Feb. 20, Golembiewski scuttled his plans to make an attempt at high tide with a group of boat captains and their boats to pull the sailboat into deeper water.
Golembiewski, 37, said he purchased the sailboat in Jacksonville last November for about $14,000 and spent almost as much for repairs ahead of its launch in December.
He has been a professional tree climber for 15 years and has little experience in sailing, but his childhood friend from Michigan, identified to The Islander only as Nick, has sailing experience and was along for the voyage.
The pair set off with Anclote Key in Pinellas County as their destination — a 400-mile trip — and made it around much of the Florida peninsula without many issues, even picking up another passenger along the way.
“We’ve had difficulties here and there but we’ve overcome many electrical obstacles, mechanical obstacles,” Golembiewski said. “We are high-spirited. … It has been a real journey.”
However, by Feb. 11, the vessel’s luck appeared to run dry.
Golembiewski said the sail ripped early that day, so they crafted a makeshift sail with the remains, using a technique called “reefing.”
The makeshift sail was good enough to take them another 50 miles, when a storm came up and weather conditions were too rough to continue.
“All of a sudden these waves started hitting us real hard and real bad,” Golembiewski said. “It was like being in a car wreck over and over again.”
Golembiewski and the crew anchored in 16-20 feet of water a couple of miles off the coast of Holmes Beach with hopes the storm would pass.
“I said, ‘We’ve got a good anchor, we’ve got a good boat, we’ll be fine,’” Golembiewski said. “This boat is designed to cross oceans. This boat is designed to go to different worlds.”
However, after 4-5 hours of waiting, the storm worsened, and the three sailors voted 2-1 to call for a rescue.
Golembiewski voted “no,” banking on the boat’s durability, but he changed his mind after the U.S. Coast Guard vessel arrived and advised him to evacuate the vessel.
Senior Chief William Flores of the Coast Guard Station Cortez told The Islander Feb. 17 that they received the call for a rescue around 3 a.m. Feb. 12.
Flores said when the Cortez crew found the vessel, there were waves 6-9 feet high and 25-knot sustained winds.
“They were having a real hard time and getting beaten up by the swells,” Flores said.
The Coast Guard tied up to the sailboat and escorted the trip from Lucky Us 2 and brought them back to shore.
“It was definitely a dangerous situation and we’re thankful we got the call early and were ready to get out there,” Flores said. “I’m really proud of the crew here and that they answered the call, did great given the circumstances and three lives were saved.”
“They did an amazing, fantastic job,” Golembiewski said.
A few hours after Golembiewski and his passengers were rescued, people reported seeing the sailboat crashing in the waves on the shore around 79th Street in Holmes Beach.
Golembiewski said he found the boat extensively damaged and the anchor broke off.
The boat also was missing a dinghy motor and grill, which were observed earlier when it washed ashore, according to Golembiewski.
The two removed gas and oil cans from the beached vessel, then tried to make the wreck as presentable as possible.
“Our first thing that we wanted to do was secure any diesel or anything that would hurt this beautiful island and area,” Golembiewski said.
Despite the boat’s condition, Golembiewski said it would still be able to sail if brought to deeper water.
His goal was to raise the vessel and complete the remaining 49-mile voyage to Anclote Keys off Tarpon Springs, where they intend to repair the boat.
Golembiewski told The Islander Feb. 18 that a local fisherman offered advice on how to shimmy the boat back out to sea with elbow grease, and they were going to try his method to avoid the cost of removal.
In the meantime, they’re living in a shuttle bus they own and brought to the area.
City code compliance supervisor JT Thomas told The Islander Feb. 16 that the city would not use taxpayer funds to pay for the vessel’s removal.
Thomas said code compliance would monitor the vessel and ensure it didn’t pose a threat to beachgoers and the environment.
“It wasn’t like it was negligence, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now that the boat is on the beach, we got to make sure that we don’t have our taxpayers and visitors in harm’s way of a big old giant sailboat,” Thomas said.
“We’re going to secure it and make sure they get it off our beach safely,” he added.
Golembiewski Feb. 15 created a GoFundMe campaign, “Help Unbeach Lucky Us 2,” to raise money for his cause. He said any extra money would be donated to a good cause, as suggested by Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth.
“We really do love the boat and we will not walk away from it,” Golembiewski said. “If this does work out and we leave Anna Maria Island, we will leave with thanks to the community.”
The GoFundMe campaign had raised $1,681 from 38 donors as of Feb. 18.
People can donate by visiting gofundme.com/f/74vefz-help-us-unbeach-lucky-us-ii.