Motor yacht still stuck on St. Croix’s Beer Can Island may inspire new state law

The city of Hudson has been lobbying Wisconsin state officials in hopes of seeing a law passed that would make boat abandonment a criminal offense, the fallout of the ongoing saga of the 54-foot Bluewater Intercoastal motor yacht that’s been stuck on Beer Can Island since August.

The stepped-up effort comes as city officials have had to acknowledge that daily fines for derelict boats allowed under a new ordinance passed last fall have failed to oust the vessel, named Sweet Destiny, from the beach.

“We don’t think it’s a small matter to have these boats washing up,” Hudson City Administrator Brentt Michalek said.

The city in recent years has towed three large boats from the river and stored them in the city impound lot at its own expense.

Seeking a better and less expensive solution, Hudson Mayor Rich O’Connor reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and in early December a regional representative met with city officials in Hudson to talk about possible legal steps the state could take.

O’Connor said Wednesday that the DNR has agreed to a second meeting while state lawmakers in Madison in the coming weeks craft the next Wisconsin state budget.

“The problem that we have is that if nothing is done people are going to get the impression that this is just a dumping ground for their boats,” O’Connor said.

The penalties could include revoking any state license held by the boat owner, whether it’s for hunting, fishing or even for a personal vehicle, O’Connor said. If that’s not enough, then the law should go further: “If these people choose to do nothing, they could go to jail,” he said.

The state would also have to reach across the border to coordinate with Minnesota, he added, so that a boat owner couldn’t simply evade the new measure by leaving their watercraft on the other side of the river.

The Wisconsin and Minnesota DNRs did not immediately return requests for comment.

The boat is still on the water, its aft quarters sunken perhaps a bit further in recent weeks but its bow lodged firmly in the sand. It’s surrounded by open water even as ice forms elsewhere on the St. Croix.

The boat’s ownership has been clouded by competing claims of sale, but the city determined last month that Bill Warren, a treasure hunter and lounge singer, is the official owner, Michalek said.

When he first called the city last fall from his residence in Alabama, Warren said he would float Sweet Destiny and take it to the Gulf of Mexico to use it as a dive boat while searching for buried treasure. He backed out of the deal after financing fell through, but over the holidays he called the city and said he still wants the boat, Michalek said.

On Dec. 16, Hudson Police Chief Geoff Willems determined that Warren, who was not available for comment Wednesday, was the rightful owner.

That’s some relief for former owner Grayson McNew of Afton, who said he sold the boat twice, first to a person in early October who spent a day on the marooned vessel and then disappeared and then to Warren. McNew still faces penalties that accrued from the city before he sold it.

The fines reached $1,400 a day at one point and accumulated to more than $40,000. They’ve since been reduced to $21,228 and have been turned over to city collections actions, according to Hudson Municipal Court Clerk Delaina Bacon-Gaboury.

McNew said he learned last year while signing the bill of sale at Windmill Marina in Afton that the boat didn’t come with a title. It was his first boat, and he couldn’t get it registered or insured without a title. He kept it at public docks or anchored it at first, but was unable to get a slip without proper paperwork.

He said he put it on Beer Can Island out of desperation and soon after noticed that it was taking on water. He ferried fresh batteries out to Sweet Destiny for a while to keep the bilge pumps operating, but the water eventually overwhelmed the system.

McNew said he emptied the boat of any toxic chemicals and put oil absorbent pads in the engine compartment to mitigate any environmental damage. The DNR has monitored the boat and found no evidence of leaks, according to a DNR spokesman.

McNew, speaking Wednesday, said he’s grateful to the people who offered to help when the boat first sank.

“No one had the proper expertise, but people offered to help in any way they could. One guy showed up on jet skis,” he said. “One dude swam over. All of this made me realize while we all love the river as a natural public resource, there isn’t much means to assist boaters when things go wrong.”