POULSBO — The 27-foot boat that sank in Liberty Bay on Feb. 4 was pulled out of the water by a team of local volunteers and the boat’s caretaker on Feb. 14 around 3 p.m.

The boat, a Regal Commodore 275, had been blown free from its moorage during a Nov. 13 windstorm and beached on the rocky northwestern shore of Liberty Bay.

On Feb. 4, the Poulsbo Fire Department reported that only the boat’s bow was visible above the water and that someone who was aboard the vessel when it began sinking had fired off distress flares before boarding a dinghy.

Port of Poulsbo Manager Brad Miller said the scope of environmental impacts from the ensuing gasoline spill was not yet known to the port. He did say, however, that a subcontractor for the Coast Guard had recovered some 25 gallons of fuel, a couple of batteries, and a small generator from the sunken boat.

“As for how much fuel leaked into the bay, it’s hard to say,” Miller said.

Miller said the boat, named “Wavelength,” is owned by Donald Little; however, another individual, Robert Fortney, has identified himself as the “caretaker” of the vessel.

On Feb. 14, Fortney was on hand assisting volunteers Aaron Wenholz, John Davis and Gary Sanders in their efforts to pull the boat out of the water at the ramp beside the SEA Discovery Center in downtown Poulsbo.

Wenholz is the owner of Longship Marine, a Poulsbo consignment shop specializing in new and used marine accessories and hardware. Longship Marine’s close proximity to (and prominent view of) the bay is responsible for Wenholz often taking on the role of marine first responder.

Fortney assumed responsibility for the boat but said he believed the blame for its sinking lies in the shoddy workmanship of the previous owner.

“I’ve been watching it, so it was more or less my responsibility at the time,” Fortney said. “When it sunk, I was on it but it went awful fast.”

He explained, “Whoever owned it before cut a hole in the floor in the wrong place, so if it did take on water it would go all the way into the cabin. It looks like they tried to access the showers, but we never used them.”

Wenholz is also a Port of Poulsbo liveaboard and said he offered his assistance to Fortney for the betterment of the bay.

“I just felt obligated to help because nobody’s going to do anything,” Wenholz said. “There’s no money in the government to pay for it. At least, that’s what they tell us.”

Davis said Wenholz enlisted his help in getting “Wavelength” out of the water. The team worked in unison after having tied two dinghies to either side of the boat and using the dinghies’ outboards to guide the 27-foot boat onto Sanders’ waiting trailer on the ramp.

Once the group got the boat up onto Sanders’ trailer and properly fastened down, Davis offered some parting advice to the boat’s caretaker.

“Next time you bring some stuff to our bay, maybe you’ll try and keep it afloat.”

–Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group., Contact him at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.

John Davis, Robert Fortney and Aaron Wenholz work to jockey a 27-foot motor yacht at the Port of Poulsbo boat launch. The boat sank on Feb. 4, spilling an unknown quantity of fuel into the bay. Nick Twietmeyer | Kitsap News Group