What will happen to the mystery sailboat seemingly abandoned offshore of Bayfront Park?
Technically, we don't yet know for sure if the mysterious grey sailboat anchored for months off Bayfront Park is truly abandoned or the victim of a free marine parking scam gone wrong.
Either way, unless Kraken starts leaking oil or drifts into a shipping lane, no one seems fussed about it.
Trail walkers and cyclists have watched curiously as the lonely 28-foot sailboat - presumably named for the legendary sea monster, not the monstrous COVID variant - bobbed just offshore from the closed beach at Bayfront Park.
At some point, the Canadian Coast Guard was notified - but the agency determined the Kraken does not pose a risk to shipping. The vessel appears to be in relatively good shape, is not listing, its location protected it from bad weather conditions and (it) is in shallow waters," said spokesperson Jeremy Hennessy.
A clear shipping lane is also the main concern for the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, which is keeping an eye on the issue," said spokesperson Larissa Fenn. Ideally the boat's owner would obtain the required insurance and arrange for its to be properly hauled out, stored and disposed of," she said.
The Spectator could not identify a registered owner for Kraken despite a painted identifying number on the hull. CHCH News has reported the boat used to be a prized possession of well-known Belleville doctor and sailor Patrick O'Boyle Kelly, but that was apparently one or two owners ago.
Transport Canada is now investigating the ownership of the vessel, said spokesperson Sau Sau Liu, but at this stage of the department's investigation, no contravention (of the law) has been identified and Transport Canada currently has no plans to remove the vessel."
Transport Canada could get rid of the vessel if it is proved to be abandoned under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act - but in some cases the agency can wait as long as two years to make that call.
Hamilton police and the city are aware of the sailboat, but are not planning to take any action at the moment. Removing the vessel does not fall under our jurisdiction," said police spokesperson Jackie Penman.
In warmer months, the boat owner could have saved a bundle anchoring off the city park for free. Paying for a boat slip at Harbour West Marina, for example, can cost $1,100 a month or more.
But if the boat stays in the water all winter, it could end up becoming a municipal safety concern or environmental liability, suggested Brian Leslie, past commodore for the Macassa Bay Yacht Club.
Leslie said thick winter ice could damage the fibreglass hull and sink the boat, leading to the risk of a fuel spill. And if at some point people can walk out on the ice to the boat, then maybe you get kids or curious people out there, or maybe (vandals) stripping the thing," he said.
Neither the city nor police responded directly to questions about the safety of would-be boat visitors, but a Hamilton spokesperson said officials will monitor community concerns" about the sailboat.
It's not clear if anything has been stolen from the boat, which retains a furled sail. Unlike an old car, there is more hard-to-recycle fibreglass than valuable scrap metal in an old sailboat, Leslie said.
It can cost thousands of dollars to store, insure and protect a vessel from the weather over a single winter - which might explain why a financially strapped owner would abandon the sailboat.
In some cases, unfortunately, walking away might be the cheaper option."
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com