BajaMike
07-11-2007, 06:12 AM
But the government won't let him move it.......:mad:
KEY WEST, Fla. -- One year after a man rode out Hurricane Wilma on his luxury yacht, the owner is now fighting to get it back.
The 150-foot Perini yacht named The Legacy is stuck in the shallow protected waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
The yacht broke free from its anchor during Wilma and was swept about three miles out to sea.
"They say it's the breeding ground for the life of the ocean," said Dave Ghidoni, who runs a rescue and salvage tug called Capt. Diane.
Ghidoni said the yacht has been mired in more than just muck for the past year.
"Nothing's going to go until they have permission from the sanctuary to move it," Ghidoni said.
A contact for the sanctuary issued the following statement: "(The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is in ongoing discussions with the owner of The Legacy regarding the most effective way to remove the vessel with the least damage to natural resources."
Owner Peter Halmos said he has tried to get permission to use a cofferdam to remove his yacht. A cofferdam is essentially a huge portable pool that would surround the yacht and allow it to float a few hundred feet at a time. But The Legacy is far from deep water and the two sides can't agree on how to move it.
There have been plenty of ideas circulating on the Internet, including one in which a photograph of the yacht has been doctored with an image of a Barney float.
The replacement cost of The Legacy is $30 million, but Halmos said he loves the yacht, which he bought 11 years ago. He said he hopes that a compromise can be reached, but until then he will continue to guard his prized possession from afar in his speedboat. He even carries a gun in his boat, just in case.
:idea:
KEY WEST, Fla. -- One year after a man rode out Hurricane Wilma on his luxury yacht, the owner is now fighting to get it back.
The 150-foot Perini yacht named The Legacy is stuck in the shallow protected waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
The yacht broke free from its anchor during Wilma and was swept about three miles out to sea.
"They say it's the breeding ground for the life of the ocean," said Dave Ghidoni, who runs a rescue and salvage tug called Capt. Diane.
Ghidoni said the yacht has been mired in more than just muck for the past year.
"Nothing's going to go until they have permission from the sanctuary to move it," Ghidoni said.
A contact for the sanctuary issued the following statement: "(The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is in ongoing discussions with the owner of The Legacy regarding the most effective way to remove the vessel with the least damage to natural resources."
Owner Peter Halmos said he has tried to get permission to use a cofferdam to remove his yacht. A cofferdam is essentially a huge portable pool that would surround the yacht and allow it to float a few hundred feet at a time. But The Legacy is far from deep water and the two sides can't agree on how to move it.
There have been plenty of ideas circulating on the Internet, including one in which a photograph of the yacht has been doctored with an image of a Barney float.
The replacement cost of The Legacy is $30 million, but Halmos said he loves the yacht, which he bought 11 years ago. He said he hopes that a compromise can be reached, but until then he will continue to guard his prized possession from afar in his speedboat. He even carries a gun in his boat, just in case.
:idea: