The shipwreck has left the shores of Holmes Beach.
But a dispute over damage to the sailboat lingers.
City officials met May 16 with Michigan resident James Golembiewski, owner of the Lucky Us 2, to discuss his allegations that city staff and police damaged the vessel during its unexpected island visit.
Golembiewski and a friend were on a 400-mile voyage around the Florida peninsula before running into trouble Feb. 11, when the vessel’s sail ripped and a storm forced them to anchor the boat.
After riding out the storm for several hours, the crew called for a rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard found them riding through 6- to 9-foot-high waves and 25-knot sustained winds, and escorted them to shore.
The next morning, the boat was found wrecked on the shore near 78th Street in Holmes Beach with a severed anchor and extensive damage.
The boat remained at the shore until May 9, when Golembiewski used some of the $7,633 raised via a GoFundMe campaign to hire help to free the vessel.
The sailboat was towed to Tarpon Springs for repairs.
Golembiewski previously told The Islander that the city was to blame for some damage to the boat since it washed ashore in February.
He blamed the city for damaging the vessel by stapling paper notices and flyers to the hull.
Golembiewski also said that the removal of the vessel’s boom and lines from the mast by the city resulted in the disappearance of a custom boom rest.
Otherwise, the boat was broken into, robbed and vandalized during its time on the shore.
Golembiewski estimated the vessel suffered more than $10,000 in damages after it crashed on the shore.
He was again seeking help to fund repairs for the sailboat with a new GoFundMe campaign, “Help Us Repair ‘Lucky Us 2,’” which launched May 12.
The campaign had raised $100 from one donor as of May 20.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander May 18 that police removed the vessel’s boom and lines due to public safety concerns.
Tokajer said a photo that ran in the March 22 issue of The Islander showing a person on a makeshift swing made from lines on the mast illustrated why the property had to be removed.
“A kid made a swing out of the ropes that hung from the sailboat,” he said. “We cannot allow that. We cannot allow people to be on it. … This is a recipe for disaster.”
Tokajer said the boom was left on the vessel’s deck and it was not the city’s responsibility to ensure it stayed there.
“The owner of the boat showed no responsibility whatsoever in maintaining the boat and the safety of the boat,” Tokajer said. “We did the best we could to watch his vessel, which he was not watching.”
Mayor Judy Titsworth said that message was delivered to Golembiewski at their May 16 meeting.
“You didn’t make it safe … so we had to go in there and make it safe,” Titsworth said. “I’m sorry but you should have had it secured.”
“The city did the best it could and I’m sorry if it wasn’t to your satisfaction,” she added.
She said she apologized but Golembiewski was uncooperative.
Titsworth added that she was unsure of what Golembiewski wanted out of the meeting.
“He never actually said what he wanted,” she said. “It was the weirdest meeting. … We consider the case closed.”
A kid on a swing is a recipe for disaster! Just like cars over 25mph.