The last time we checked in with the Milwaukee Boat™, the long-beached vessel was still there (on the shores of Lake Michigan, between Bradford and McKinley beaches), but was now tagged (with “ALIENS”). Now, on the final day of 2024, the boat is still there, but it’s been moved a little.
A commercial towing and salvage company, Jerry’s Dock Marina, was on site Monday trying to tow the thing away. They couldn’t do it—though they did manage to move it a little. The boat is now nearly parallel to the shore, instead of nearly perpendicular.
This was at least the second attempt to move the boat. On November 16, crews tried to tow the thing away. They couldn’t do it—though the did manage to snap the railing on the bow.
November 16
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to one of the crew members on Monday. He said that the boat’s propeller is buried in two to three feet of sand, and that “when you pull it out, it almost beaches back up.” The JS also noted that “the next option could involve dredging sand loose from underneath the boat by blasting it away with high water pressure.”
The Milwaukee Boat™ has been beached and stranded for two and a half months now. Owners of the 33-foot Chris-Craft Roamer (named Deep Thought) ran it aground on October 13, after it ran out of gas. The U.S. Coast Guard determined the stranded boat posed no environmental threat, and has thus left the thing alone.
The boat has quickly become a Milwaukee Thing. It regularly draws crowds, has been decorated for the holidays, and has been the site of a late-night DJ set. Oh, and you just KNOW it’ll be hopping during the New Year’s Day Polar Plunge (hint hint).
And yes, our (pre-ALIENS) boat shirt is still available. We love you, Milwaukee Boat™. Never change/move.
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