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The Log • October 10 - 23, 2014 • 13 Los Angeles officials question Angelique’s future
In February, the Angeliquebeached onto the shores of Playa del Rey. Several months later, the vessel is still there on Playa del Rey’s Dockweiler State Beach. The future of the 70-footer has not yet been determined. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it could take some time before the vessel is removed.
aboard or near portions of the vessel still above sand, playing near the bridge or having sand fights at the boat’s port. Through it all, White said
as a result of people’s curiosi- ties, lifeguards and law enforcement officials moni- tor the Angelique daily. Warning signs were posted around the perimeter of the Angelique and windows and doors were boarded up. Yellow police tape has regu- larly been visible in between warning signs. No injuries involving human interaction with Angelique have been reported.
By Parimal M. Rohit
PLAYA DEL REY — The Playa del Rey shoreline would never be confused for an uncharted island near Hawaii, but the presence of the Angelique at the northern end of this enclave’s beach could very well be a scene from “Gilligan’s Island.” The Angelique is short of a portly
skipper, thin first mate and intelligent professor, but there was a storm caus- ing the 70-foot vessel to become beached. More than six months ago, the
Angelique beached onto the shores of Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey. Even though the vessel originated from the harbor in neighboring Marina del Rey, the city of Los Angeles ultimately became involved with removing the 70-foot boat from the beach.
While Marina del Rey is an unin-
corporated county governed by county officials, the boat’s crashing into the sands literally a few feet away from the waterfront enclave made it a matter of city jurisdiction, pulling Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, whose district includes Playa del Rey, into the fray. According to a news report pub- lished shortly after the Angelique beached on Feb. 27, the captain of the vessel anchored the 70-foot boat out- side of Marina del Rey, fell asleep, and discovered the anchor was dragging early the following morning. With the
White added since the boat is deeply immersed in sand, merely cutting up the Angelique is not a viable solu- tion. Then there are concerns of how to keep any heavy
captain unable to gain control of the boat, law enforcement officials report- ed that Angelique eventually beached onto Dockweiler’s sands. The story is a little different from
Cosmo Mitchell’s perspective. Mitchell is the owner and captain of Angelique. A post he wrote a few months ago on the fundraiser website
GiveForward.com stated the Angelique —with three passengers and three dogs aboard—apparently ran out of gas in the middle of a storm before the anchor failed. It was this combination that, according to Mitchell, caused Angelique to find itself at water’s edge in Playa del Rey. Stating she was a “beautiful part” of his life and his home, Mitchell further elaborated on how he and his wife spent the next three months trying to dig as much as 50 tons of sand out of the Angelique, all in an attempt to save the vessel. “Things were going great,” Mitchell
wrote to The Log. “My wife and I broke our backs removing the sand inside, and progress was incredible. The sani- tation department from the state of California approached me and stated that they are not heartless and would like us to gather proposals from sal- vage companies.” Mitchell also claims the state
offered to help pay costs to get Angelique out of the sand and into the water. However, not much progress has
been made. Deputy Brian White of the Marina
del Rey Sheriff’s Station said it could take some time before final action is taken. “It’s a slow process,” White said, adding there are some environmental and safety hazards to factor in before removing the vessel from the sand. “It’s a hazard. It’s a nuisance.” Right now, the Angelique is partially
submerged into the sand. Depending on the tide, the vessel could be 30 to 50 feet away from the water. There have been instances when
Angelique drew spectators. It was not uncommon to see children hoping
equipment potentially used to dig the vessel out of the sand out of the water, especially whenever there is high tide. Meanwhile, Mitchell claims his
efforts to salvage the Angelique were impeded by bureaucratic and law enforcement officials. “They shut us down on a bogus fab-
ricated safety issue, with arrest threats if we do not vacate. They have a per- sonal agenda for my ship,” Mitchell said. Exactly how much it would cost to
remove the Angelique from Dockweiler’s coast has not yet been determined, though officials predict the bill could be north of $100,000.
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Parimal M. Rohit photo
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