Sailboat Stuck on Stinson Beach for Over a Month Sparks a Legal Battle and Local Controversy
A sailboat marooned off the shores of Stinson Beach has become a month-long saga, sparking controversy and a legal battle. The stranded sailor, known as Captain Logan Walker, claims to have accidentally found his boat stuck in the surf zone on July 31 during a journey from Richardson Bay to Seattle.
In a recent hearing marked by expletives and interruptions, a federal judge extended a temporary restraining order, allowing Captain Walker a few extra days to dislodge his vessel before county intervention. The judge set a deadline of 12 p.m. on Monday for Walker to free the boat, after which the county will assess the situation and consider removing it.
Remarkably, Captain Walker left the hearing without shoes and openly lit a tobacco pipe allegedly filled with marijuana.
The saga began when the Marin County Sheriff’s Office initially requested Walker to remove the boat by the end of August, which he failed to do. In an attempt to extricate the vessel on the day it became stranded, Walker used his dinghy to set anchor and haul the boat back offshore. His efforts were unsuccessful, and he was detained and subjected to a sobriety test by a sheriff’s deputy.
This photo by @SamPtReyesLight of Bob Weir helping to dig out the stranded boat in Stinson Beach is outstanding. And he wrote an article about Bob and the boat without a reference to "Lost Sailor".https://t.co/oU1BDq5tti pic.twitter.com/Xrf7wHyZ71
— The West Marin Feed (@WestMarinFeed) September 7, 2023
Some of the locals deem the ship as an eyesore, while others believe that the destruction of the ship could pollute the beach. Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the county from taking action, as Walker expressed concerns that moving the boat could result in further damage.
Community members have rallied together over the past week, including the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir (pictured in the tweet above), working collaboratively to reposition the boat approximately 90 degrees, inching it closer to the water.
Marin County deputies are poised to return to the beach to evaluate the situation and determine a safe removal process if the boat remains stranded beyond Monday at 12 p.m. This could mark the end of Captain Logan Walker’s boat.
