For the time being at least.
The houseboat that washed up on the shores of north Mayo looks set to remain in the area for the foreseeable future after efforts to track down its owner have proved fruitless.
The houseboat, which is believed to have drifted all the way from Newfoundland in Canada to Cross Strand on the Mullet Peninsula near Belmullet, came with a note on a wall inside (see below).
“I, Rick Small, donate this structure to a homeless youth to give them a better life that Newfoundlanders choose not to do! No rent, no mortgage, no hydro,” the note reads.
Efforts to contact Mr. Small since the discovery of the boat have proved in vain and, according to the Mayo News, it is being kept in a Mayo County Council depot in Belmullet.
Maritime law, as it turns out, obliges that a Revenue official, known as a Receiver of Wreck, be appointed to ensure that the houseboat is kept for a period of a year to allow for the owner to establish their right to possession.
Until Mr. Small expresses an interest in reclaiming it, if he even does so at all, it looks set to stay in Mayo, with a decision to be taken on what to do with it once the year is up.
The Mayo News reports that a number of groups have contacted Mayo County Council expressing an interest in taking possession of the boat, including a local Men’s Shed in the area.
“If the vessel is not claimed and it remains in Ireland, we would like to see it kept locally,” Michael Hurst of Ballyglass Coast Guard told the Mayo News.
“There has been a lot of interest in it, and the feeling locally is that because it came ashore here, it should remain here,” he added.
All images via Facebook/Irish Coast Guard
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