These displaced Hilton Head Islanders are closer to returning to their floating homes

For a few minutes “Pocahontas,” Matthew Leitner’s boat, sailed again Thursday as a 260-ton crane carried it over the marsh at Palmetto Bay Marina where it beached about five months ago during Hurricane Matthew.

Pocahontas’ navigation from the pluff mud, around trees and over a hill on Hilton Head Island represented the successful end to a post-Matthew journey that had many obstacles for a handful of boat owners, many whom lived on the boats.

Spectators lined the parking lot to catch a glimpse of Leitner’s boat rising from the wreckage of docks, as cables rattled on nearby boat masts and Leitner paced at times joking about how nervous he was.

“I am a happy man,” Leitner told a friend minutes after the boat was nestled into a stand. “I have my home. I’m one step closer to being back on the water.”

For a month after the storm, Leitner camped with other boat owners on a vacant lot where the crane was placed Thursday. His tent became a meeting ground for those affected by the storm and those who wanted to help. At the humble campsite plans were cast, some failing with new ones evolving.

On Thursday, many of those friends he made returned to help or cheer as four boats were removed from the marsh. A fifth is set to be removed on Friday. Another group of stranded boats with unidentified owners will remain at the marina for now.

Costs to remove and repair the boats could have exceeded $15,000 for each owner, all of whom didn’t have insurance, Leitner has previously said. Fundraisers were launched, yet donations, while plentiful, couldn’t cover all of the costs.

Another urgency to remove the boats came in January when S.C. Department of Natural Resources officers tagged the boats. The tag meant owners had 45 to 90 days to remove their boats depending on the circumstances. Under state law, if the boats are not moved, owners face a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 or a jail sentence of up to 30 days, or both, if convicted of the misdemeanor.

While the owners still face costs to repair their boats, a deal from Tim’s Crane Company out of Georgia allowed another company, Florida-based Big ‘Um Decks N’ Docks, to pick up the $4,000-a-day tab, Clifton Catron, spokesman for the deck company, said Thursday.

Another three companies — Ash Tree Experts, Tiny Homes of Hilton Head and Marine Tech Services — volunteered supplies and services to the effort.

Catron took a moment late in the day Thursday to look at the boats that had been removed.

“It makes me feel good,” he said. “We are not complete yet, but we are closer.”

About 20 volunteers pulled on cables to stabilize each boat as it was set into stands. At times it took hours for the crew to maneuver a boat into the right spot. The men shouted back and forth over the boats about which way to pull.

Catron first approached boat owners with an offer to cover removal costs. But a back-and-forth dispute ensued with Keith Miller to use his vacant lot for the crane.

Despite a lack of finalized conversations with Miller, Catron said he decided to roll a crane onto the land Thursday. A call from The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette shortly after the crane arrived at 9 a.m. surprised Miller about the crane’s presence.

A couple of hours later, Miller, Catron and James McGrath, who recently launched Tiny Homes of Hilton Head, a tiny-home-building business, made a deal. Catron and McGrath would assume all liability while using the land and agreed to restore the lot afterward, all three said Thursday. The agreement was made merely minutes before the first of four boats was pulled from the marsh.

McGrath said it was a relief to see the boats removed after months of discussion.

“Everyone came together,” he said. “Giving back is the biggest form of gratitude one can give to the community.”

Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett came out Thursday morning to observe the crane and meet with boat owners and works crews.

“It has been five months,” Bennett said shortly after the crane pulled up. “You drive over the bridge, and you can’t help but look over and see these boats capsized.”

“It is heartwarming to see all these people out here helping these people,” he added. “It becomes no longer heart-wrenching but heartwarming.”

Those who want to help the boat owners recover their costs can visit the Go Fund Me page at Palmetto Bay Marina Relief Fund.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 10:22 AM with the headline "These displaced Hilton Head Islanders are closer to returning to their floating homes."