Former Seattle Harbor Patrol vessel Patrol No. 1 reached the end of the line last week. The 102-year-old wooden boat was demolished by the Port of Port Townsend following a nine-month legal battle with its owner, Marc Landry.

Although it was known the port planned to demolish the vessel – as it has done with other craft declared derelict and/or abandoned – staff had been instructed to keep the exact schedule a secret. The port issued a public statement Sept. 15 once demolition was substantially complete.

At about 8:30 a.m. last Thursday, Port Townsend police came to Sunrise Coffee, located on port property near where Patrol No. 1 was stored, at the request of Sam Gibboney, port executive director.

At the coffee shop, police handed Landry – a regular Sunrise Coffee patron – a letter of trespass admonishment barring him from all port properties for five years. The letter was dated Sept 12. According to Port Townsend Police Department Detective Bogues, Landry left the coffee shop quietly and without incident. At no time was Landry near his former vessel, which remained in the locked long-term storage yard throughout the demolition process.

Port staff initially told the Leader that the trespass notice had been sent to Landry by certified mail and signed for prior to Landry's removal from port property.

On Sept. 20, Port Townsend post office staff confirmed to the Leader that the letter had been received on Sept. 14, but had not been signed for by Landry or delivered to him.

Although Landry has been embroiled in a series of legal battles with the port since his eviction proceedings began last January, until Sept. 12 he had not been banned from port properties. Apparently, the first knowledge Landry had of the trespass admonishment was when police arrived at Sunrise Coffee to escort him off port property. Eric Toews, port planning director, confirmed Sept. 20 that his earlier statement to the Leader that Landry had received and signed for the trespass admonishment letter prior was incorrect.

At roughly 9 a.m. last Thursday, a salvage contractor began demolition of Patrol No. 1 using heavy equipment. By 3 p.m., the boat was substantially destroyed. The engine and some firefighting equipment were removed by the salvage team for resale, as part of the contractor's salvage agreement with the port, which lowered demolition costs.

On Sept. 16, Landry's motion to reconsider Judge Keith Harper's Aug. 24 ruling and Sept. 9 judgment and award of attorney's fees was heard in Jefferson County Superior Court. Judge Harper summarily dismissed Landry's motion, re-stating his previous position that "this case is done in this court."

Landry had already begun an appeals process. When asked whether he plans to continue an appeal even with the boat gone, Landry said, "Of course I am... I'm only interested in talking about the truth."