Port to auction abandoned boat

The Port of Camas-Washougal will hold a public auction to sell a boat that has been abandoned at Parkers’ Landing Marina.

The auction will take place at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Port, 24 South “A” St., Washougal, according to Port CEO David Ripp.

Glenn and Angela Severns are “seven months past due” on their slip payments and currently owe the Port $2,224.44, Ripp said during a Port commission meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

The Port impounded the 1993 28-foot blue-and-white Carver on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.

“They had an automatic payment on their credit card,” Ripp told the Post-Record. “The credit card expired, so that’s when we realized we had an issue. (Port accounts receivable manager) Jen West tried to get ahold of them to no avail. She talked to banks, talked to friends, tried to reach out to other family members, and (wasn’t able to track them down). We’ve overstepped our due diligence to find out what happened to them.”

Ripp told the Post-Record that he believes that one of the boat’s owners is “deceased.”

According to a Tribute Archive obituary, Camas resident Angela Severns, 60, passed away on Aug. 23, 2020, in Vancouver, survived by her husband Glenn.

Ripp said during the Feb. 15 meeting that a 90-day foreclosure notice received no response, and the “(the Severns’) telephone numbers are all disconnected.”

“Usually you find out (what happened in these types of situations),” Ripp said. “We even reached out to their son. They had property in Montana, and supposedly his son moved out there and is living on the property. We tried to reach out to him, and he’s not responding, either.”

The Port will apply the sale proceeds to the Severns’ account and direct any excess funds to Washington state’s derelict vessel removal account.

“Carvers are very nice boats,” Port commissioner Larry Keister, a former recreational boater, said during the zFeb. 15 meeting. “(They have) a lot of wood and a lot of detail. The older ones are the classics.”

Port finance officer Krista Cagle said during the meeting that “a lot of people” have already expressed interest in purchasing the boat.

“It’s a very nice boat,” Ripp said. “It’s a (type of) boat that’s sought after. People like it. We’ll get our money back.”

This type of situation is “rare” for the Port, Ripp added.

“I think in my 15-plus career, I have auctioned off maybe three or four boats,” Ripp told The Post-Record. “It doesn’t happen often. It’s definitely been a while (since the last one).”