One piece gone, the bulk of Milwaukee's abandoned boat still to go

Yahoo

22-04-2025

Nobody game them permission, but a crew from a local salvage company once again took it upon themselves to try and remove an abandoned boat from Milwaukee's lakeshore.
On April 22, a crew employed by Jerry Guyer, a local salvage guy who owns Silo Marina, arrived on the section of beach between McKinley Marina and Bradford Beach. They had one mission: get the boat's flybridge and cockpit off the Lake Michigan shoreline.
With sawzalls in hand, the crew cut through what formerly was the top of the boat, then hauled the pieces up and over roughly 30 feet of boulders where a trailer was waiting to haul the parts away.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for removing the flybridge from Deep Thought, a Chris-Craft Roamer, but it was found on the beach April 15. The boat was abandoned by a Mississippi couple on Oct. 13 when they ran out of gas and missed the entrance to McKinley Marina, where they had planned to dock for two nights.
Guyer has attempted to salvage the boat but had to halt efforts once winter rolled around. Deep Thought has been lodged in the shoreline sand for six months. On April 18, Milwaukee County's corporation counsel said it is the county's responsibility to remove the boat from its resting spot.
County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman specifically said on April 21 that Guyer "is not authorized to move the boat," and would not be reimbursed by the county for his efforts. Guyer sent out his crew on April 22 anyways.
Guyer estimates he has spent at least $20,000 on salvage efforts, including equipment. He has repeatedly said that once he starts a project, he wants to be able to finish it. That is proving to be the case with Deep Thought.
"It's a challenge," Guyer told the Journal Sentinel. "I'm not giving up."
Weather permitting, his crews will be back out in the morning.
This story has been updated to include a video.
Jessica Van Egeren covers abandoned boats and other topics of interest for the Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: One piece gone, a bulk of Milwaukee's abandoned boat still to go