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Final flight of the Flying Fifty, derelict sailboat

The largest of 12 abandoned boats being removed from Collier County waters, with the assistance of an $80,000 FWC grant plus $20,000 in county funds, the Flying Fifty, was destroyed at the foot of the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge Thursday.

Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff

The largest of 12 abandoned boats being removed from Collier County waters, with the assistance of an $80,000 FWC grant plus $20,000 in county funds, the Flying Fifty, was destroyed at the foot of the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge Thursday.

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  • Flying Fifty hovers above the ground after being plucked from the canal along SR-951 Wednesday evening by Sea Tow and Cypress Construction contractors. The lift-off was quickly followed by an intentional crash landing on the bank of the canal. Excavation of the abandoned, once half-sunken, 70-foot sailboat, from the Marco River, cost $40,000. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
  • A Sea Tow contractor throws the anchor overboard Wednesday after removing the 70-foot abandoned vessel, the Flying Fifty, from the water using two cranes. Though the anchor was thrown, it won't slow the vessels' voyage to the dump from the foot of the S.S. Judge Jolley Bridge anticipated Friday. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
  • The spectacle of removing the Flying Fifty had crowds gathering at the foot of the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge Wednesday and into Thursday morning to observe and snap photographs.
  • The largest of 12 abandoned boats being removed from Collier County waters, with the assistance of an $80,000 FWC grant plus $20,000 in county funds, the Flying Fifty, was destroyed at the foot of the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge Thursday.
  • Demolition begins Thursday on the Flying Fifty, a 70-foot sailboat, which sat abandoned on the Big Marco River near the Snook Inn for so long, the Snook made t-shirts of the 'boat that's not afloat.' The Flying Fifty was torn apart Thursday and will be taken to the dump by Cypress Construction crews by Friday. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
  • Excavation and destruction of the abandoned sailboat, the Flying Fifty, which was brought out of the water near the SR-951 canal, caused traffic delays on and off Marco Island via the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge Wednesday and Thursday.
  • The 'Flying Fifty' sits in the water of the Marco River. Steven K. Lacefield, 55, the owner of the boat, was charged with failure to meet titling requirements and leaving or abandoning a derelict vessel on Florida state waters after he was notified of his responsibility to remove the boat.
  • The Flying Fifty sailboat in the Big Marco River, is among 12 Collier County boats being salvaged from local waters as part of a grant from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Kelly Farrell/ Staff

Images of the 70-foot Flying Fifty sailboat's excavation from the Big Marco River, paid for through FWC and county grants. Flying Fifty took its final flight with the help of two cranes Wednesday, was demolished Thursday, March 12, and is scheduled to be taken to the dump by Friday.

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