Boat owner hopes tides will free his floating home
A handful of people watched the tide fill the marsh at Palmetto Bay Marina with disappointment and hope Thursday morning.
“We just weren’t able to do enough,” Matthew Leitner said while looking at his 36-foot Columbia sailboat.
The boat — also Leitner’s home — leaned on its side in the typically dry muddy marsh surrounding the once-existent marina where Leitner spent nearly a month camping after the storm to be near his boat.
But the group, which spent hours digging mud away from the boat through the night hours, was still hopeful. They had one more chance.
Higher-than-normal tides from the supermoon were expected to reach more than eight feet by midmorning Friday. This could once again fill the marsh up with water and possibly be just what the group needs to free the boat.
Yet, the group faced hours of shoveling mud away from the hull of the sailboat. The team of volunteers waited in angst Thursday, pitching idea after idea of how they could best free the boat.
If the boat is freed, Leitner could avoid the $8,000 cost needed to pull it from the marsh. If not, he estimated he could be out $15,000 with repair costs included.
Leitner asked for any help the public could give in the process.
“We only have a certain amount of time during low tides to do this,” he said. “We need more manpower and shovels.”
Leitner said he is thankful for how many people have already helped.
“I never thought anyone would go out of their way to help me like this,” he said.
Teresa Moss: 843-706-8152, @TeresaIPBG
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This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Boat owner hopes tides will free his floating home."