Derelict Boats Get Beached on Montecito's Butterfly Beach

Derelict boats have become a persistent problem for Montecito, after two abandoned vessels ran aground on Butterfly Beach last week. One was a sailboat called Riches to Rags, and the other beached shortly before; the cleanup operations involved crews from MarBorg and support from the nonprofit Heal the Ocean (HTO). To reduce potential environmental harm, HTO covered cleanup costs estimated between $5,000 and $30,000 depending on the boat’s size. After MarBorg cleared the first boat by Monday, July 13, another stranded sailboat was reported by Tuesday evening and removed by Friday dawn. The article notes the county faces jurisdiction and enforcement challenges when boats drift from city areas, while owners are sometimes given a chance to salvage before tagging removal responsibility to HTO and MarBorg.