Two tractors hooked together with a chain, left, were needed to bring the bulk of the “Katy Did” ashore behind the Gulfport Lions Club on Sunday, January 26.In a marine fire that occurred on Saturday evening July 20, 2019 as a result of a lightning strike during a powerful thunderstorm, the “Katy Did” sailboat that was at anchorage just off the shore of Gulfport in Boca Ciega Bay caught fire, burned and sank with no loss of life. It was undergoing renovation prior to acquiring insurance in August, said owner Dawn Traver. The vessel was single-mast, 41-foot fiberglass Islander with a center cockpit and a design by Robert H. Perry, she said. It was powered by a diesel engine. On Sunday morning January 26, the bulk of the vessel was dragged from the by bay by TSI Disaster Recovery, which is under contract by Pinellas County to remove derelict vessels, said Gulfport Marina Director Denis Frain. After the legal paperwork process has been completed, these types of vessels are usually brought to the Bay Pines boat ramp for removal, which is located about 12 miles away, he said. In a cooperative agreement with the county for logistical reasons, the City of Gulfport authorized its removal behind the nearby Lion’s Club at 4630 Tifton Drive South “where there’s a sand area,” said Frain. The firm then “hand raked the whole area like they were never there. This case was unique because it did burn, was underwater and in pieces.” Related Gabber coverage: thegabber.com/lightning-strike-causes-sailboat-fire.
Workers from a derelict boat recovery firm place environmental mats onto the natural sandy water ramp behind the Gulfport Lion’s Club on Sunday, January 26 before dragging part of the “Katy Did” ashore.
