'Ghost ship' may take 2 months to remove from Melbourne Beach

It could take anywhere from two weeks to two months to move the mysterious "ghost ship" sailboat off the sand at Spessard Holland South Beach Park, said Don Walker, Brevard County spokesman.

The unoccupied 45-foot beached sailboat, Cuki, was reported Tuesday morning. The vessel is registered to a Key West owner — who is jailed in the Florida Keys.

"It is a public hazard, and it needs to be removed. It's twice as big as most boats we deal with, so we anticipate this could cost us a lot to get it out of there," Walker said.

No cost estimate is yet available to remove the abandoned vessel. Wednesday night, beach spectators said electronics had been stripped from the sailboat since it ran aground — and two mannequins were removed.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel should remove fuel and a propane tank from the boat by Friday, Walker said.

"We have contacted FWC and made them aware of it, and they have started a report, which could take 60 days. But it's on us to remove it," Walker said.

In October 2015, two beach-goers discovered a yellow-and-blue, steel-framed raft near Aquarina Beach and Country Club south of Melbourne Beach. Cans of food were found on board, and nearby water bottles bore the labels of Ciego Montero, a Cuban manufacturer.

That same morning, a retired Indialantic physician found a laminated ID card with Spanish text lying amid seaweed near the 14th Avenue beach crossover. The card — which appeared to have been issued by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior — bore a woman's photo and identified her as a "Prisoner Subject to Security Measure."

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter.