CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - Along picturesque South Main Street in Chincoteague rests a dockside blight.
A 40-foot trawler has sat abandoned since last century, and it has not been moved or maintained since.
It was at one time a curiosity to passersby.
"It used to be ideal for people wanting to take paintings and all that" said Thomas W. Bowden of Teager, LLC. "But now, that boat down on Main Street is leaning over."
Now, though, the trawler, and derelict vessels on three other sites are deteriorating, causing a navigation hazard.
"During the wintertime we do a lot of guided duck hunts and we leave before daybreak," said Capt. Tim Walch of Chincoteague Bay Adventures. "Running in the dark, if the vessel's there, it's not marked in any way, you can have a real unfortunate event."
In all cases of these derelict boats, the owners are either deceased or unknown, as any identification marks have long faded or worn away.
Thanks to Virginia's Marine Debris Reduction Plan, Chincoteague has received a $60,000 grant under the Abandoned or Derelict Vessel Grant Program to clean up the boats.
The cleanup is important because the vessels pose more than just a navigation threat.
"Some of them may contain environmental issues, oil and gas and that sort of thing, and if nothing else they're just an eyesore because they're sitting on the bottom and no one's taking care of them," said Chincoteague Town Manager Michael Tolbert.
The Town of Chincoteague is currently taking estimates from contractors bidding for the work, which is expected to be done by June 30.
Capt. Walch was thrilled to learn the work would be done before one of the biggest events of the year.
"Pony Penning charters happen in the dark," Walch said. "We have to be around there by daybreak. And we leave the dock usually somewhere between four and five o'clock in the morning and to not have to worry about those vessels, or the debris off of those vessels out floating in the channels, that's a big help."
