The abandoned boat on Milwaukee’s lakefront, Deep Thought, no longer has its hard top after it was removed.
The boat was observed April 15 in its same disastrous condition but some of the boat has been removed and the boat’s cockpit was also removed and placed along the small sandy area adjacent to the boat as it sits on Lake Michigan’s shoreline.
Jerry Guyer, the owner of salvage company Silo Marina in Milwaukee, had previously attempted to remove the boat after it was abandoned by owners Richard and Sherry Wells of Mississippi. Guyer said April 15 he hadn’t been at the boat.
According to Jeff Fleming, Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s spokesman, Deep Thought is positioned on Milwaukee County land, in between McKinley and Bradford beaches. A county spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to request for comment April 15.
The cockpit of the stranded boat on the Lake Michigan shore by Bradford Beach is seen off the boat on April 15 in Milwaukee.
How did Deep Thought get there?
The Wells bought the boat in Manitowoc and ran out of gas along the lakefront on Oct. 13. Shortly thereafter, they returned home to Mississippi. Legally, it’s their responsibility to pay for and arrange for the boat’s removal.
The Wells had been communicating with Guyer, but after several initial conversations, communication has gone “radio silent,” Guyer said.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Milwaukee County, the state Department of Natural Resources and the city of Milwaukee have either said abandoned boat removal isn’t within their purview or have said nothing at all.
The hard top to Deep Thought is seen removed on Apr. 15 in Milwaukee. The boat was abandoned on the lakefront by its Mississippi owners. Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The boat made it through the fall and the icy winter, but not before its interior and exterior were covered in graffiti (some rather distasteful) and most of its electronics picked over or destroyed.
Guyer estimated it would cost $20,000 to have Deep Thought removed and he thinks it’s time for government agencies to get involved.
Jessica Van Egeren contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee’s abandoned boat Deep Thought now is in two parts