Under the cover of darkness a team of mariners assembled by the Dead Boat Disposal Society floated three wrecked boats off the beach of Cadboro Bay in the early hours of Friday morning.
The boats now lie, in tatters, under the sun in the Point Hope industrial shipyard where they are being sampled for chemicals and will then be torn apart and properly recycled and disposed of.
B次元官网网址淚t takes about two weeks to test them and then theyB次元官网网址檒l go to Dead Boat Heaven,B次元官网网址� said John Roe, leader of the Dead Boat Disposal Society and whoB次元官网网址檚 organized the disinterment of dozens of boats from their shallow watery graves. B次元官网网址淭he reason we were out at midnight (Thursday night, Friday morning) was to take advantage of the tide. We had divers in there for two of the boats, one which was submerged 20 feet.B次元官网网址�
Removed by the light of the moon. Big Red: Then, and Now. Photo credit to me, left, in Feb 2018, right, Dead Boat Disposal Society, from today. Red overstayed its welcome on Caddy Bay beach and now its being tested for chemicals then recycled. Good riddance, locals say.
B次元官网网址� travisApaterson (@TravisAPaterson)
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One of the submerged boats was too rotten to follow the original plan of floating it B次元官网网址� with air bags B次元官网网址� to Point Hope. Instead it was taken out at Cattle Point. on the beach near the playground of Cadboro-Gyro Park. ItB次元官网网址檚 believed the owner is paying for removal which should be done shortly, though itB次元官网网址檚 been spray-painted and burgled.
The midnight mission marked the latest return of Roe, and his Dead Boat Disposal Society, which puts a new name on and old game. Roe has done more to restore the Gorge Waterway and remove wrecks from the shores of the South Island than anyone. In the 1990s Roe founded the to a swim-able status and sparked the $150 million restoration of Rock Bay.
Roe was part of the October, 2017 community clean up that removed about a dozen boats from both the Oak Bay and Saanich foreshores of Cadboro Bay.
Funding came from the federal government through itB次元官网网址檚 new Oceans Protection Plan. After submitting a detailed plan of removal for the boats, the OPP funded $30,000 for ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 removal and the Capital Regional District funded about $10,000.
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B次元官网网址淭he paperwork involved is just staggering,B次元官网网址� Roe said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檇 be far easier if people just donated them to us, turn them over before giving up on them.B次元官网网址�
Roe started the paperwork for this removal on Jan. 21, 2018. It took a one year and three days to get it approved. But he also believes the approval process will be sped up substantively as he was working through a brand new program.
And thatB次元官网网址檚 important, as the Dead Boat Disposal Society has a mandate to remove every sunken or abandoned boat from provincial shores.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e started here on the South Island but weB次元官网网址檙e moving out across the rest of B.C.,B次元官网网址� Roe said.
Roe has 34 boats already targeted for removal. He is scheduled to survey boats in the waters of Sechelt and Ladysmith in coming weeks. TheyB次元官网网址檝e identified boats in North Saanich, Brentwood, Tsehum Harbour, Sooke Basin, Galiano, and plenty of other locations and also plan to use sonar to identify sunken boats that are unseen.
B次元官网网址淣ow that we have the program in place, I understand the process of it,B次元官网网址� Roe said. B次元官网网址淚 put it about 30 hours a week, IB次元官网网址檓 retired now, I didnB次元官网网址檛 want to sit around and whine, IB次元官网网址檝e done this in the past, I know how to do it.
B次元官网网址淲e are gung-ho to go, thereB次元官网网址檚 more to come.B次元官网网址�
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