NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The owner of a stranded sailboat sitting on New Smyrna Beach said he is working out an agreement with county officials to surrender the vessel.

The beached 1977 Ericson34 named “DECOY” has been beached since December 22. It belongs to Allan Askar. Askar told FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie he has lived aboard DECOY for the last three years.

According to Askar, he was sailing from St. Thomas to Viera Beach when rough weather snapped his anchor line and pushed him ashore. Askar said it wasn’t just the weather that landed him in a precarious position. He said his maps didn’t align with current coastal conditions, something he blames on Hurricane Milton.

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) deemed the sailboat derelict, giving Askar 21 days to remove it – he’s now down to 10.

Per FWC, derelict vessel owners can face civil and criminal penalties, including jail time.

To avoid that, Askar said he is hashing out an agreement with Volusia County. He said county officials reached out to him, and worked out a way to have him surrender the sailboat. 

“Basically, it’s surrendering any interests, any of my interests in the boat. So whatever possessions I have in the boat, all the things, everything will belong immediately to the county,” Askar said. 

That includes the cost of removing it, which could then fall on taxpayers.

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“I’m disgusted! Sorry, that’s a little bit overboard… I’m not happy about it,” said Volusia County resident Drew Hurley. 

Askar said he takes full responsibility.

“I’m always thinking, whatever you’ve done, you have to be responsible,” Askar said. “Obviously, I tried finding all different options, and if right now, I will not find money, and I would like still to continue that, most likely the only outcome would be if I don’t find money: jail time, which to me, looks like again taxpayers would pay for me to be in jail.”

According to FWC, they are collaborating with local municipalities in this case, and FWC has not begun a removal process. A statement reads, in part, “if the vessel is being removed, it is either being done by the local municipalities or the vessel’s registered owner.”

Askar said the deal between him and the county will be finalized on January 3, with DECOY’s demise taking place shortly after.

“They already have something planned, so it’s probably going to be a quick process of removal,” Askar said.

A county spokesperson declined to comment, stating the case is actively being investigated by FWC.

This is Askar’s second vessel to run aground. He said his catamaran, named Tikinova, was beached in the Dominican Republic during Hurricane Fiona.

“We got winds up to 100 miles an hour and, within six hours, it changed all 360-direction, so it was very unusual,” Askar said.

According to Askar, he is still working to fix the catamaran and plans to head back to the Dominican Republic soon.

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