THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 20, 1995 TAG: 9503200038
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
There's an inquisition under way at the Norfolk waterfront, and the target is one of Virginia's more regal maritime assets: the Chesapeake.
The boat, not the bay. The state yacht, if you prefer. Fifty-seven roaring feet of sleek, stately and exceedingly controversial floating aluminum.
Gov. George F. Allen and other fiscal landlubbers say the state yacht Chesapeake is an extravagance, and have put it on display at Waterside so government officials, potential buyers and other oglers can ponder its fate.
``I think we should sell it,'' Allen said matter-of-factly this week. He said he has never been aboard.
The General Assembly this year reversed the governor's plans to sell the yacht, opting instead to give it to the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, which could rent the vessel to state agencies that need it.
But while that and every other recommendation in the budget sits on Allen's desk awaiting action, the debate over the Chesapeake continues. And the yacht, which hasn't been used since the governor said he wanted to sell it, bobs in the Elizabeth River.
``A state yacht is highly visible - one of those things that can be easily targeted,'' said Del. Robert S. Bloxom, a Republican from the Eastern Shore, where the Chesapeake is typically docked.
``But I don't think that those people opposing it really understand what it does.''
Allen says he understands.
The state-owned vessel has ferried governors, dignitaries, emergency workers, even drug enforcement agents around Virginia's coastal waterways since Edwin T. Holland bestowed it on the state 21 years ago.
But Allen's trim-the-fat administration has no room for such excess as a private yacht, the governor says. Time to cast off the line that moors it to the state budget.
The custom-built yacht costs an average of $20,000 a year in maintenance and fees, not counting last year's $53,000 overhaul. It requires the services of two enforcement officers from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission who work as captain and first mate whenever it's under way.
In 1989, the state spent more than $90,000 replacing the vessel's two diesel engines.
Past governors have sailed on the yacht; Gerald L. Baliles occasionally used it to fish. Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder logged three days straight in 1993, though VMRC records don't say why.
Allen wants to sell the yacht and simply ax its yearly maintenance costs from the state budget. Some expect it could fetch $250,000 or more on the market.
Aside from those who question whether the state should sell a gift for profit, the state yacht has acquired a following from people who say it's not just an amenity, but a necessity.
Many of those supporters live in Tangier, the island town in the center of the Chesapeake Bay.
Every year, the state yacht ferries government officials to and from Tangier. When health care workers visit for the annual health fair, they take the Chesapeake. When the Accomack County Board of Supervisors holds its annual Tangier meeting, members take the Chesapeake.
And in bad weather or ice, the 57-foot state yacht is one of the few vessels available that can carry people and supplies across the 8-foot swells.
``As far as the state is concerned, that's the only physical link we have with Tangier,'' said Bloxom.
Other save-the-yacht supporters include the people who market the state to new businesses and developers. More than anything else, the Chesapeake has been used by economic development pitchmen for wining, dining and showing off the state's ports and waterfronts.
And the enforcement officers for the state Department of Natural Resources consider the yacht a part of their law enforcement fleet. In the mid-1980s, it was used as a floating command post for officers trying to intercept drug shipments in the Bay.
Supporters say that to rent a similar yacht could cost the same as the operation cost of the Chesapeake, assuming a suitable alternative is available. And to replace the boat could cost millions.
``If it's not being used, I think it's the fault of people lacking imagination,'' said Sen. Edward M. Holland, D-Arlington, whose father gave the boat to the state in 1974.
``If it's not being used, it should be. It was a gift, and it's perfect. It's filling a niche.''
During the late 1980s, the yacht was used almost 40 times a year - not counting law enforcement duty. During the Wilder and Allen administrations, usage fell to about 15 trips a year.
State maritime officials say the Chesapeake soon will leave Norfolk and return to its private dock near Onancock.
Julie K. Overy, spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, says the state has received preliminary purchase offers, as well as offers to float the governor and other dignitaries around for free on private yachts.
But not until April 5, when the legislature convenes to consider Allen's vetoes and proposed amendments to the budget and other legislation, will it be known whether the Chesapeake will sink or sail.
``We haven't used it since December, when the governor said he would get rid of it,'' said Wilford Kale, chief of public affairs for the state Marine Resources Commission, which is responsible for the boat's upkeep.
``And we won't use it. We'll keep it tied up and in good shape, then move it wherever they tell us, when they tell us.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
TAMARA VONINSKI
Staff
The Chesapeake is on display at Waterside in Norfolk so government
officials, potential buyers and others can size it up. Some say it
could sell for $250,000 or more.
by CNB