Surfrider, Westport locals, and State Parks join forces to clean up capsized boat remains

Kaare Hammer & Chad Carpenter of Westport (2nd and 3rd from left) with volunteers.

On Saturday, August 6 at 1:00pm, through a coordinated effort of Surfrider, two local Westport citizens, and the Washington State Parks, a daunting clean up effort commenced to remove the massive amounts of debris produced by a capsized 40 foot fishing vessel which ran aground at the Westhaven State Park beach on the morning of July 30. It left behind a near half mile trail of boat debris and garbage stretching from the Westport Jetty south. Not only the contents of the boat washed ashore on the day it ran aground but then, just hours later, the vessel was completely dismantled by an incoming tide, breaking into literally hundreds of pieces! With the cause for the boat’s grounding and ultimate destruction still under investigation, what was left behind in it’s wake was a massive array of debris, which remained in piles along Westhaven's high tide line for nearly a week, resembling more of a construction yard demolition site than one of our state’s favorite coastal destinations. This horrific scene remained for all beachgoers to witness until this Saturday, when a small but determined crew came together to clean up the disaster. Everything from wood and metal boat parts, wiring and windows, to plastic shards, fiberglass chunks, clothing, cans, and bottles needed to be hauled off and soon before higher tides later in the month.

One hour before the cleanup commenced on August 6.

When asked the day of the incident about who would be responsible for the debris, Washington State Park's, Ranger Brad Staab said “It falls to the boat owner, they are the one’s that are liable, but from there, if they fail to clean it up, I could see the Department of Ecology or another agency stepping in and just billing the owner.”  Unfortunately, little effort was made by the boat’s owners beyond the first day or two after the capsize, when most of their time appeared to be spent gathering salvageable items and piling up debris. Little was seen being disposed of or hauled away. Dozens of beach goers who witnessed the incident that morning, along with United States Coast Guard officials and Washington State Park rangers, all pitched in to get debris up to the high tide line. This was a huge help considering how many surfers, kayakers, and others enjoy this section of beach and how dangerous this debris would be to not only polluting the ocean but also for people’s safety. Another issue at hand was the boat’s fuel tanks. Ecology’s spill response was quickly on the scene, however only about 100 gallons of diesel was recovered from one of the boat’s two tanks with an estimated 250 gallons spilled into the ocean. One of the boat owners managed to remove one tank the day of the incident but the other appeared very difficult to access. 

The next day State Park Ranger Miles Wenzel managed to tie a buoy to the boat’s second tank and mast, which appeared to be all that remained of the vessel where it originally ran aground. Later in the week a local Ocosta man managed to hoist the mast out of the water using what appeared to be some original line still attached to it. He then tied it off to his truck and with the help of several others maneuvered it from the beach to the parking lot, where he hauled it away. Just after the incident took I worked most of the week trying to coordinate state or local agency assistance of some kind to remove the vessel’s debris off the beach at Westhaven. Time was the main concern with the fluctuating tides and knowing things will become buried or end up in the ocean. Coupled with beachgoer safety there was little time for agency approvals to get funding for the clean up effort. It was State Parks though, who were finally able to step in with approval to bring in a huge 60 yard dumpster.

Over 20 truckloads in all were taken to remove the debris with only four or so large chunks of hull, stern, bow, and cabin remaining. Park Rangers, Park Aides, and the three locals began the clean up around 1:00pm and continued most of the day until the massive dumpster was near capacity. Resident Kaare Hammer brought his truck in support of the two Parks vehicles being used. All trucks were then driven down to the debris, loaded, and driven back up the dune to the dumpster in the parking lot. Park crews stayed around to continue working on the remaining pieces of vessel by digging them out and using a chainsaw to break them into manageable pieces to haul away.

A massive undertaking for less than a dozen folks, but what a huge success! All involved on Saturday were amazed at the amount of debris this one vessel produced! A huge thanks goes out to all those who helped with the aftermath of this incident, especially this Saturday’s clean up crew and one small group of two women, two young girls, and one man all visiting for the day and just saw the cleanup going on. They were a huge help and fantastic to give away hours of cleaning up the beach when they arrived for a day of recreation.  

An extra special thanks to local clean up crew residents Kaare Hammer and Chad Carpenter who traded a beautiful sunny Saturday of surf to work all day with myself and Park crews on this major task and huge kudos and thanks to the Washington State Parks themselves for stepping up with resources to get the dumpster and provide crew and vehicles for this effort. Park crew included Rangers Miles Wenzel, Ron Dyste and John Jamieson and Park Aides Danny O'Hagan, Doug Baginski, Kaylan Forbis, Henry Becker, and Bailey Peron. A fantastic accomplishment that folks in this community who visit the beach often or for those coming for a visit in the future, will for sure appreciate.