What’s The Deal With That Boat on the Lakefront?

People look at the S.S. Minnow on Dec. 28. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Milwaukee now boasts two tourist attractions named after classic television sitcoms.

There is the deliberately installed Bronze Fonz, of Happy Days fame, on the riverwalk. But these days, the best selfies are taken with the “S.S. Minnow,” a Gilligan’s Island-inspired shipwreck on the lakefront.

Sunken into the sandy shores of Lake Michigan since Oct. 12, the 33-foot boat has become an unlikely gathering place.

The story starts with Richard and Sherry Wells, a Mississippi couple who had just purchased a new boat, the Deep Thought.

They planned to pilot their new, then-uninsured vessel from Manitowoc to Mississippi and live on the boat. A two-night stay in Milwaukee was on the itinerary. They’ve since gone home, but 96 days later, the Deep Thought (anonymously rebranded as the S.S. Minnow) is still here.

The exact circumstances leading up to the boat getting stuck are disputed. But what’s agreed upon is the Deep Thought ran out of gas and the Wells ultimately abandoned ship. The couple had intended to stay at a slip they rented at McKinley Marina, but amidst the waves and setting sun, they couldn’t find it. They blame Milwaukee County for not providing accurate guidance, while the county says otherwise. On the list of oddities with this story, it’s a minor one.

The matter is now under the regulatory authority of the U.S. Coast Guard.

But the hardworking crew at Jerry’s River Marinas might control the ship’s fate, and own its future. Veteran marina operator Jerry Guyer told reporter Jessica Van Egeren in early January that he’s already invested $18,000 in labor and equipment on the effort to remove the boat. But the weather hasn’t cooperated. On Jan. 3, they moved it, but didn’t free it. The propeller is estimated to be under up to three feet of sand. And now the boat, which Guyer says is 40 years old, is surrounded by ice.

Guyer’s crew has removed plenty of possessions from the ship, but the Wells quit calling him back. “I figured at some point the owners would want them back,” Guyer told Van Egeren. “It’s not looking like that’s going to happen.”

And the salvage value of the boat is “diminishing very quickly,” he noted. But Guyer said he’s committed to getting the boat out, even if it costs him personally.

There is also an issue of fees, or the lack thereof. The Wells previously said they were being charged $400 per day by the Coast Guard, which the Coast Guard said is “false.” A crowdfunding campaign for the Wells was deleted. The Coast Guard said they’re also not hearing from the couple.

The couple has answered the phone for a few media interviews and is pleased Milwaukee is having fun with their misfortune. “It cheered me up seeing the videos of everybody doing stuff,” said Sherry to WISN 12 in early January.

The list of ways people are taking their own three-hour tour with The Minnow is long and varied, from a gnome costume party to decorating it for Christmas. There’s also been plenty of graffiti, tongue-in-cheek beat reporting from Matt Wild (“Yep, Still There“), an “I Closed Wolski’s” sticker and a listicle by OnMilwaukee. No wedding photos have circulated on social media yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

You can find the S.S. Minnow beached between MooSa’s and McKinley Marina. If you need another landmark, it is directly east of the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. And if all else fails, someone even created a Google Maps marker (4.9 stars, 71 reviews).

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