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A 34-foot sailboat that washed up on the beach at the Jersey Shore has become an unlikely social media celebrity and tourist attraction.
Locals in Brigantine said the boat — named “Heavy Traffic,” with a listed home port of Brooklyn — has been on the sand at The Cove beach for about two months. Advertisement
Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera said local officials identified the boat’s owner as a student attending college in Massachusetts. Sera said officials believe the student may not currently have the means to have the boat returned to the water without assistance.
“Heavy Traffic” has become an unusual local celebrity, with residents and tourists making frequent visits to take photos for social media.
Local police are in contact with the owner, but the city will have to take possession of the vessel if it is not removed from the beach soon.
Sera said he would rather see the owner retain possession of the boat.
“We would really like to have someone come help this individual to get it out so they can keep their boat,” Sera told NJ Advance Media.
Police determined the boat had been secured in open water near a Coast Guard station in the Absecon Inlet, which separates Brigantine and Atlantic City, when it broke loose from its moorings. Advertisement
Brigantine Police Capt. Steven Ward said the city will likely need a contractor to remove the boat if its owner is unable to remove it. He said past incidents requiring boats to be removed and stored have cost the city up to $20,000.
