Costly Boat Wrecks Run Up Big Costs for Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Boats that get away from an anchorage and crash into the shore are sometimes uninsured and badly damaged. It creates a big cost that sometimes ends up covered by a source other than the owner.

For years Santa Barbara City has been hit hard with boat that are off of East Beach and outside of the harbor.

In bad weather one or more is often on the sand.  

The city now has a cleanup policy that gives the owner a chance to retrieve the boat through personal or insurance means.

The non-profit, Heal the Ocean, and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee's office have identified the costs and the need to have a county policy on these damaged vessels.

In a report to the county, the urgency included:

 • Hazardous materials that must be removed quickly before the vessel breaks apart.

• Typical removal costs range from roughly $5,000 to $15,000+, with an average around $7,000.

• Repeat offenders and uninsured vessels make cost recovery difficult.

• Some wrecks require coordination among County, Coastal Commission, Coast Guard, non-profits, landowners, and contractors.

The county is going to look at policies enforced by Santa Barbara and other cities and come back with its own enforcement plan.

(More details, photos and video will be added here later today.)

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