Judges gives owners 10 days to move Lake Minnetonka yacht
The Seanote (FOX 9)
MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge has given owners of a yacht ten days to move the vessel from a public boat launch outside the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol in Spring Park, Minnesota.
The giant 58-foot, 45-ton yacht, named Seanote, has sat there since it was pulled out of an icy Lake Minnetonka in mid-December.
The county calls it a safety risk and environmental hazard and went to court to get the vessel safely moved to a more appropriate location.
For the last year or more, the one-time lake charter’s future was in doubt because of varying issues with ownership, marina storage and winter transportation.
In a court filing, Hennepin County called its presence in the public parking lot where it makes up most of the available parking space, a "civil nuisance and dangerous situation" because of the yacht’s size, the approximate 200 gallons of fuel onboard, and its significant leaning position on what officials argued is an improper trailer.
The county successfully sued and this week a judge gave Seanote’s owners 10 days to move it.
The Seanote, has sat int he parking lot of the Hennepin County Water Patrol offices since it was pulled out of an icy Lake Minnetonka in mid-December. (FOX 9)
FOX 9’s Paul Blume spoke to one of the owners off-camera on Wednesday. He explained that ownership is trying to save a "rare, really cool boat" from the scrap heap, and promised they have a plan to transport the monstrosity to his local business, US Boat and Recreation, just about a half-mile away, also along Shoreline Drive.
But that won’t be easy, it has to go by road, and local officials have made clear that their current trailer is neither safe nor adequate for the job.
An attorney for the ownership group issued a formal statement, writing, "It has always been our goal to move the Seanote to a more suitable location. The court has now ordered us to do just that. We are now working hard to move the Seanote in accordance with the court’s order."