Merged- Windigo Abandoned. Please Help

[terminalcitygrl]

It bothers me that they are trying to avoid responsibility for the clean-up. Do they think Australian taxpayers should pay to have it removed and properly disposed of? The good folks of Australia are already footing the bill for their search and rescue right? Isn't cleaning up your own mess the decent thing to do here? These folks just seem to make one bad decision after another. I kinda feel badly for them but honestly they chose to put all their net worth into a boat, not buy insurance, sail into predicted bad conditions, call for a rescue and abandon the boat, not sink the boat, not hire someone to actively salvage the vessel before it washed up on the beach, not hire someone to guard the boat once they were notified it had washed up, and now they are trying to avoid paying for the proper clean-up of their mess. It's disgraceful. Tme to pay the piper Windigo and be glad for the opportunity to do so.

[ElGatoGordo]

Originally Posted by terminalcitygrl

It bothers me that they are trying to avoid responsibility for the clean-up. Do they think Australian taxpayers should pay to have it removed and properly disposed of? The good folks of Australia are already footing the bill for their search and rescue right? Isn't cleaning up your own mess the decent thing to do here? These folks just seem to make one bad decision after another. I kinda feel badly for them but honestly they chose to put all their net worth into a boat, not buy insurance, sail into predicted bad conditions, call for a rescue and abandon the boat, not sink the boat, not hire someone to actively salvage the vessel before it washed up on the beach, not hire someone to guard the boat once they were notified it had washed up, and now they are trying to avoid paying for the proper clean-up of their mess. It's disgraceful. Tme to pay the piper Windigo and be glad for the opportunity to do so.

Well said ma'am...and I agree 100%. I too feel bad for them, as I do for many people who have made poor choices. I doubt they will ever pay a dime...as they are broke...and that's life.

But don't whine about your stuff being "looted"! You abandoned the the boat in the ocean...anyone who came upon it is pretty much gonna take what they want. I put a table saw out at the curb where the garbage goes and a guy took it...I can't complain Granted most of us here would not have helped ourselves...but then I'm not a dirt poor fisherman who would think he hit the lotto if I found this boat! Fair winds guys...get some work, buy another boat...and move on with life. Next time at LEAST get insurance to cover your own liabilities...you just NEVER KNOW when you and your stuff will affect others...and you need to be responsible.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Normanby

Saw a story on yesterday's news that Windigo got looted of what was left of her valuables.
Owners naturally VERY distressed.

Not looted, salvaged.

[armido]

Originally Posted by armido

Sure hope Windigo gave at least 72 hours notice prior to her arrival in Australian waters and sports acceptible anti-fouling paint.

armido

I posted this because as much as I enjoyed sailing to Australia, not once but twice - (2000 - 2001, 2009 - 2011), immigration, customs and other government employees pretty much go 'by the book'. So, when news that Windigo had come to rest in bad shape on the Australian coastline - I envisioned Windigo's owner being confronted sooner, rather than later by any one of several agencies.

There is no doubt the Australian authorities will use whatever lawful means they have to see that Windigo's owner bears the cost for her disposal, whether they arrange for it or the Australian authorities do it.

I would not be in their shoes, because they may first and foremost be prevented from leaving Australia until it's done and paid for. Beg, borrow or...

At least they won't be paying a fine for failing to provide 72 hours notice prior to Windigo's arrival. Or, will they?

armido

I'll never forget buying a money order at the Australian Post and being told I had to fill in the 'pay to' line before I could have the money order. Huh?

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by armido

I posted this because as much as I enjoyed sailing to Australia, not once but twice - (2000 - 2001, 2009 - 2011), immigration, customs and other government employees pretty much go 'by the book'. So, when news that Windigo had come to rest in bad shape on the Australian coastline - I envisioned Windigo's owner being confronted sooner, rather than later by any one of several agencies.

There is no doubt the Australian authorities will use whatever lawful means they have to see that Windigo's owner bears the cost for her disposal, whether they arrange for it or the Australian authorities do it.

I would not be in their shoes, because they may first and foremost be prevented from leaving Australia until it's done and paid for. Beg, borrow or...

At least they won't be paying a fine for failing to provide 72 hours notice prior to Windigo's arrival. Or, will they?

armido

I'll never forget buying a money order at the Australian Post and being told I had to fill in the 'pay to' line before I could have the money order. Huh?

Dont mess with the Aussie Govt when it comes to you owing them money,

They can and will jail you for it, and fine you on top of it, including interest,
They will send him a cleaning bill,
But he wont be leaving Australia or New Zealand before its paid,

OZ and NZ have free travel between the two countrys now, But you do need a passport and Visa to get out of either to go overseas,

[ausaviator]

I'm calling a bluff on the "equipment" that was trashed.

There are no details on the looting. So it was left for months half full of water in storms and god knows what else and they expected it to be in good condition? Maybe if the hatch was closed there might be something left in her. What are we talking here, GPS, nav station, electronics? you can write that off as soon as you leave the boat. Other than that the big ticket items are engine, rigging, head? It's still an empty shell which is all you could have ever expected to find.

[TopHat]

I'll get rid of it for $40k, ive got a ute & a chainsaw, work is a bit quite at the moment!

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Dont mess with the Aussie Govt when it comes to you owing them money,

They can and will jail you for it, and fine you on top of it, including interest,
They will send him a cleaning bill,
But he wont be leaving Australia or New Zealand before its paid,

OZ and NZ have free travel between the two countrys now, But you do need a passport and Visa to get out of either to go overseas,

They still have debtor prisons in OZ ??

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

They still have debtor prisons in OZ ??

Sheriffs Office, They call it here, Any outstanding fines from the govt, They come a calling,
The Police have Number Plate Recognition in their cars, Fines, Rego, Licence, It all comes up in their car and they pull you over,

We just have prisons, Every one goes inside the same door, I dont think they specialise at all, Hahahahahaha

[Ian R]

They should bring the boat to queensland and let it go ,nobody seems to worry about wrecks here, unless they are insured or Indonesian. The Indonesian boats are disposed of at great expense to the taxpayer ,other worthless wrecks are ignored as far as I can see. Many harbours have sunken wrecks slowly disintergrating . There are wrecks on the great barrier reef in plain sight .
I was in Tin Can Bay a week ago ,there was one old boat on a mooring slowly sinking a couple of hundred meters from the marina , no one in authority was seen to do anything, maybe when it sinks and oil starts to flow there may be some action. Another boat that came off it mooring and drifted around till somebody tied it to the mangroves.
I don't see why these people should be singled out, they have lost enough already.
Which government department [or departments ] is responsible anyhow ?

[Coops]

We went out sailing today, just south of Moreton Bay, Queensland. Directly outside the marina is a 40-45' yacht sunk to the bottom, mast poking out. It has been there for two months that I know of. On it's anchor, not a mooring, so the marina has done nothing about it. Water Police go past on a regular basis and is obviously of no interest to them either.

Coops.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Chrisgo

$50,000 to dispose of it seams like a lot. How would they do it? Would they be allowed to tow it off the beach and let it sink?

Am not entirely sure what the "looting" actually consisted of If anything not nailed (or bolted) down then likely it just floated away - and even if had not would likely be long since ruined by seawater. If things like the winches have dissapeared obviously sounds like someone has been onboard - but I doubt if very much of things like that were actually serviceable / had any great value.

Sounds like the owners are (once again?) waiting for someone else to "do something" to get them out of a hole of own making. Maybe the EPIRB has a button for salvage? .


Personally if faced with a $50k bill I would be down to the beach with a pickup truck and chainsaw - including for parts to be "recycled" into the sea .........Yeah, I know its an eco sensitive area (blah, blah, blah), but facts on the ground often enough do win an argument ("oh, look - no boat" ).....if questioned I would call it preparation for later removal (by lightening the boat - and if that ended with the boat having been lightened to the point of dissapearing then that would just be a happy accident / surprise to me ).....$50k is $50k..........of course that approach would require the owners to get off own arse rather than hoping (expecting?) someone else would "do something" .

[catakate]

Too bad it's not a steel yacht, scrap metal it's getting more and more expensive
Back to my previous opinion, it still stands but this IS their responsability, one should take whatever outcome his actions have!

[lateral]

"I don't see why these people should be singled out, they have lost enough already.
Which government department [or departments ] is responsible anyhow ?"

That they have lost enough already is not in dispute.
That is sad, but it was their choice.
Until someone claims salvage it is their visible rubbish in somebody
elses backyard. They made that statement by not scuttling.
Apart from being party to a hazard to shipping.
Scuttling would be more affordable for them, however wasteful & uneco
It is possible, they were past rational.

Contingency protocols and subsequent loss should be seriously considered before ppl venture offshore.
Wing & a prayer works until shtf, then
you start looking like just another dreamer.

Cat 1 is a start. If you leave port when isobars screaming don't go you should notexpect to be rescued. Not talking a kink with an upper trough (not reported) stuff. Anyway multi levels are included in prognosis now. Get rooted, er, routed.Or subscribe to Bob McD.
If you want freedom, unfettered, then maybe you should swim home.

[zeehag]

these people first of all abandoned their boat in ocean.
second they littered the ocean with a perfectly good floaty thing.
third they EXPECT it returned as it was when they left it--then WHY DID THEY LEAVE IT....
now they EXPECT their trash to be picked up by someone else at no cost to them...is that naivete, or is it lack of knowledge or is it flagrant arrogance.
what is this thought patterning that is granting them this freedom of idiocy.
waaah waaah waaah.
they left it in mid ocean.
waah waah waaah their stuff is gone....DUH!
ocean has salvors and others who salvage stuff off boats.
looting ????? i think is called something other than looting and the acts were not in violation of any known laws of sea.
DO NOT LEAVE BOAT IN OCEAN ALONE.
sorry but i really dont have sympathy for these people.
waaah waaah waaah credit card...waah waah no money....if this is so--dont abandon your boat in midocean. it is no longer yours, but open to salvage and gone from your reality.
EXPECT a high price for saving the garbage from the beach..is called salvage.

i feel only sad for the boat, but i dont feel for the individuals who LEFT that boat in perfectly good condition to sail the ocean alone without people to guide and protect it. they fouled up. they were "rescued" from a floating boat. it sailed itself into oz without them .. they lost.