By Karenlyn Barone
Workers from Ace Marina in Oceanside were hired to tow the houseboat to the BirdÕs Nest Marina at the north end of the canal. The owner, an unnamed woman, was reportedly sending it in for repairs.
The houseboat, which was being towed by a small outboard-powered motorboat manned by three workers, with an additional worker perched on the roof, began to take on water and capsized.
Because it was low tide, the houseboat did not sink, but was marooned on its side in the shallow canal. Workers quickly threw lines to people on the pier, who pulled the craft to the canal wall. The three workers jumped out and shouted that they were going to get the Coast Guard as they drove away in their work truck. The man on the roof, Joseph Holmes, jumped down to the back deck of the houseboat and made his way safely onto the pier.
ÒIt was a miracle he didn't get hurt," said an observer, Freddie of Valley Stream, who was strolling along the canal and saw the chaos. "I thought the guys were leaving the scene, so I called the Nassau County Police Department and gave them their license plate number, but they came back on their own."
Within minutes of Freddie's call, Nassau County Fourth Precinct police officers Charles Zanni and Bob Land were on the scene. ÒIt appears that one of the pontoons cracked and took in water," said Zanni.
Police officer Gregg Magnifico of the Marine Police also responded to the scene, followed by the New York State Department of Conservation police and the East Rockaway Fire Department. "I've never seen anything like this," said Magnifico.
The scene took on a party-like atmosphere and a crowd gathered as the workers reappeared with tow lines and a flatbed truck. Their intention was to flip the boat right-side-up and continue towing it to the marina. As they hustled to make the most of the quickly fading daylight, another boat -- a large cabin cruiser -- appeared, ready to help in the effort. With tow lines secured to the houseboat, the cabin cruiser and the flatbed truck pulled simultaneously, but were unable to flip the houseboat over. As it grew darker, workers decided to secure the boat for the evening and resume efforts in the morning.
Jeff Tollin, of East Rockaway, was riding by on his motorcycle and saw the whole thing. "The houseboat was tied up to their boat, which was moving in reverse," said Tollin. "It looked like it was going to tip over, and everyone started yelling, 'There it goes!' and it did."
Despite the excitement, all the debris was cleared up by Tuesday morning, and no one was harmed in the accident, though the houseboat was damaged.
"There was no gas or other environmental hazards on board," said Nassau County Police Officer Michael Bitsko. "The boat was towed to a bulkhead in East Rockaway and was dismantled."
