Community says stranded sailboat on Jersey Shore beach is safety concern

The ripped sails of a marooned sailboat snap loudly in the wind two months after it became an unusual attraction along a Jersey Shore beach.

A mishap at sea left the sailboat, known as the Alestorm, beached in Sea Girt, New Jersey, and abruptly ended Lawrence Kaehler’s voyage from New York to Florida.

“I’m still actively pursuing options to remove the vessel,” Kaehler said.

Kaehler is the owner of the Alestorm which is currently moored by a pair of anchors.

The Florida man says that his prior attempts to get the boat back into the water didn’t work.

“You never know what will happen if kids get in there, or something would happen, and somebody got hurt,” Wall Township resident Harry Mellody said.

Now, concerns and frustrations are growing within the community as the harsh coastal elements continue to take a toll on the boat’s condition.

“We don’t want it ending up on the jetty or at a chance where it could break up causing an environmental concern,” Sea Girt Police Chief and Borough Administrator Justin Macko explained. “I would say it’s concerning of the fact of what the next steps are.”

In court this week, Kaehler pleaded not guilty to a charge from the New Jersey State Police of abandoning a vessel and a local violation for storing a boat on the beach.

If the borough ends up having to pay a private contractor to get the boat off of the beach, officials said that could cost up to $15,000 with taxpayers ultimately picking up the tab.