GULFPORT, Fla. — Over the weekend, storms moved through Tampa Bay, causing flooding, storm surges, and strong winds. For those whose homes are on the water, it was a rough night.
"I didn't know it was a big storm. I thought it was a high wind," David Young explained as he stood in front of his now-beached sailboat.
He bought the boat back in October. Young is retired, from Ohio, and this boat was meant to be his chance to sail into the sunset. Mother Nature had other plans.
"Then I looked out the window and I was here," Young said.
Waves slammed against his boat for five straight hours Saturday night into Sunday morning. When it seemed the waters had calmed, he looked out to get his bearings.
"All of a sudden there's bright light out the window. Wow, and it was the casino light," Young said.
His boat is one of three beached behind the Gulfport Casino. More beached boats can be found near Williams Pier.
"I want to get back on the water. And I think with that slight repair, it's going to be doable," Young said.
Thankfully, he has insurance, and he's currently waiting to know what his insurance will cover.
Others haven't been so lucky.
When boats are damaged past the point of repair, the city steps in. Gulfport has a $20,000 derelict vessel removal fund for events like this. City officials said one boat owner was uninsured, so she's handing over the title of her boat to the city. The city will then take on the costs and the task of getting it off the beach.
Officials said that during Hurricane Idalia, $7,000 of Gulfport's removal fund went to moving vessels off of city property. No funds were claimed after Hurricane Ian, and Hurricane Eta didn't do enough damage to warrant use of the funds.
It costs about $200 per foot to clear a boat from the beach. For the uninsured boat, soon to become property of Gulfport, it's expected to cost about $2,400.
After the New Year, the boats that are handed over to the city will be inspected for hazardous materials.
"We'll remove all that before we start dismantling it and putting it in the dumpster and then sending it to the dump," Dennis Frain, the Gulfport Marina Operations Director explained.
Meanwhile, the city is giving boat owners extra time to sort out their next steps.
"During the holiday season, it's kind of hard if you lose your home," Frain said.
While Young waits to hear back from his insurance, he's been living in his beached boat.
"Sleeping, that kind of an angle, semi-sitting down, kind of discouraged," he said. "The way I'm tilted, my solar panels aren't catching enough sun to run my heater or anything. I got my refrigerator still intact... But yeah, kind of discouraged."
Young is holding out hope his big adventure isn't over so soon.
"I couldn't see sitting on my couch in Ohio and watching TV and dying like that," he said. "My big adventure. I just thought it would go easier."
Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday, Young's dingy motor was stolen, depriving him of his only means of getting around. Young has created a GoFundMe. To view it, click here.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.