Abandoned Boats: a problem here to stay?

STATEWIDE — If you are in the market for a boat, sometimes the best place to purchase one is not through a yacht broker but at a government-sponsored auction. The city of Newport Beach, for example, has regularly held boat auctions since 2003, attempting to move recreational vessels abandoned by their respective owners and seized by local law enforcement. Although many boats up for auction might not be worth the investment, there is always the possibility you might find a seized yet operable vessel at a discounted price. The seized boat is usually an abandoned vessel. California has made an effort to control how many abandoned boats — sometimes referred to as derelict or abandoned vessels — are found afloat or sunken in waterways. There have also been news reports of a boat owner ditching a vessel along a roadway in San Diego or others abandoning their boats in unincorporated rural neighborhoods of San Bernardino County. In mid-February, for example, a boat filled with trash was found abandoned on the side of the road in San Diego’s Mission Valley. One month earlier, an abandoned boat was spotted floating off the coast of La Jolla with two tied-down pit bulls aboard. A recent resolution...