The Cuki has crumbled.
Sixteen months ago, a 45-foot sailboat named the Cuki – better known by many locals as the “ghost ship” – washed ashore in Melbourne Beach mostly intact, its two masts rising high above a fiberglass hull.
But last Wednesday, the once majestic vessel was removed in pieces.
It was first discovered by a passing jogger in September 2017, washed up on the sand of Spessard Holland South Beach. The only “passenger” was a vest-wearing limbless mannequin decked out in a scarf, who long ago abandoned ship.
The boat drifted from Key West during Hurricane Irma. It was last registered to Jeffrey Ray Sundwall, who is currently serving a 30-year prison term for a sexual assault that took place on another boat he owned, and numerous child pornography charges.
At the time, there was talk of giving it a tow and docking it for possible repair, but time has not been kind to Cuki, so last week, Kevin Miller, manager of Absolute Marine & Salvage, who also does business under the company name CCNK LLC, was paid $12,000 and charged with its removal – which was not easy.
“Because it was left on the beach for so long, it was full of sand, so we had to dig down 6 to 7 feet to get to keel, which is the bottom of boat,” Miller said. “Then we broke it up into small pieces and hauled it off the beach.”
It took his team two days and three large dumpsters to remove the debris, which entailed using heavy machinery that could not be utilized during turtle nesting and hatching season.
Miller has served as the county contractor for the removal of derelict boats for the past 10 years. In 2018, his team removed three rafts used by migrants that washed ashore in Melbourne Beach after the Coast Guard detained the passengers at sea.
“Due to prevailing winds and currents, it seems everything ends up in Melbourne Beach,” Miller said.
There are currently about 68 boats in Brevard County determined to be derelict, and as the county gets funding, Miller said he removes them, and warns that there are several dangers associated with derelict vessels, including the fact that children and teenagers often play on them and could get hurt – and there may be hazardous materials onboard.
While the fuel had been removed from the Cuki some time ago, Miller said there were still other hazardous materials left behind including the engine and an old battery.
Miller said that typically most of the material from derelict boats would go straight to the landfill, but in this case, because there is an owner, the parts and pieces are being held at a central location until the issue can be legally settled.