EDMONDS, Wash. — They say the happiest days of a boat owner's life are when they buy it and when they sell it.
But the unhappiest day for owner Todd Herman is the day his 30-foot sailboat got stuck on shore. Now, he has no idea how to get it free.
"How could I have let this happen?" said Herman, who was gifted the boat by a relative.
Among the driftwood and seaweed along the rocky Edmonds coastline, the sailboat now hangs like an anchor around his neck.
"That's a bad day," said sightseer Andrew Burke at the location of the stuck sailboat. "That's an expensive day."
Leaning on its mast, keel in the sand and a hole in its hull, a 30-foot sailboat has been stranded in the rocks south of the Edmonds ferry terminal since July 5.
Herman says he anchored the boat 50 yards off shore with 20 feet between his keel and the floor of Puget Sound, but a high tide followed by a record low tide sent the sailboat into the rocks.
Herman takes responsibility.
"It's just a matter of not checking the tide charts for the next day. I was not expecting a record low tide," he said.
Herman said he has called the city, the county, and the Coast Guard for guidance, but hasn't received any. He was told the boat is technically on BNSF Railroad property, but hasn't heard anything from the agency.
BNSF said it's trying to determine if the boat is on its property. If it is, a spokesman says the railroad will work with the Coast Guard to determine next steps.
If it isn't, Herman said he's running out of options.
The boat was also looted of its electronics and fishing gear. But most discouraging, Herman said, is the lack of support he has felt from the sailing community.
"I thought we were like a brotherhood, that we look out for one another," he said. "I can't get anybody to help. No one. I don't understand it."
If it starts to leak the diesel fuel on board Herman will likely face hefty fines from the state.
"If you leak diesel fuel on the coast, then you've endangered all this precious wildlife," said sightseer Burke, as he and his family take pictures the ship. "I feel sorry for this guy."
But one man's misery is another man's muse.
Artist Rowan Carey said he finds inspiration in the wreckage. He sat for hours on Thursday painting a portrait of the beached boat.
"It's bittersweet. The whole scene is bittersweet because it looks so cool but it has a sad story behind it," he said.
Herman said he planned to use the boat as a way to honor his late father who taught him to sail as a young man. His hopes are sinking.
"This isn't the way to honor him, not by a long shot," Herman said, shaking his head. "How am I gonna get this thing out?"