By John Burton
RED BANK — Tim Slaight and Wendie Elovich, a Sea Bright married couple, who recently purchased what was their dream boat, were working to put the finish touches on it and looking forward to many days out on the water.
That dream has been scuttled as their boat was severely damaged sometime over last Saturday or Sunday morning, July 14-15.
The couple’s boat was moored in the Navesink River, off the Monmouth Boat Club, when, sometime after the couple had left for the evening at about 7:30 p.m., the craft was struck by another vessel. The starboard side of their boat was damaged.
Elovich and Slaight said neither they nor the police have any information about who is responsible for the damage.
“It’s wrong that somebody can just basically be such a scofflaw and leave the scene and do nothing,” Elovich said.
“The boat is totaled,” Slaight said.
He said the side was caved in, the mast bent and pilothouse damaged. “The whole boat is essentially off center,” he said.
The boat is a 22-foot, 5,000-pound Nonsuch sailboat. Only 58 of its type were manufactured by a Canadian firm that has long been out of business, according to Elovich.
She and her husband spent considerable time and money working on the boat. The replacement value, she said, would be about $75,000. Unfortunately, their insurance will only cover the boat up to $20,000, she said.
The couple reported the damage to the Red Bank Police on Sunday at about 1 p.m. The borough police referred the report to the New Jersey State Police’s Marine Police Unit, Red Bank Capt. Darren McConnell said.
State Trooper Christopher Kay said the marine police took statements from the owners. The incident is under investigation.
