UPI
Fort Pierce, Florida
Oct. 21, 2011

Local authorities have recently cited a live aboard cruising sailor for
failing to obtain a boat manufacturer's license. This after his being
observed building a boat in a local boat repair yard from the ground up.
This ongoing process has taken the better part of a year and involves
the grinding away of the majority of layers of the original hull
laminate and the use of any number of noxious chemicals which are
applied over and over and then sanded smooth resulting in toxic dust
clouds throughout the local community particularly when the wind blows.

Capt. Skip Grindlach received a citation after large groups of residents
from nearby subdivisions complained of headaches, dizziness and nausea
after clouds of fumes and dust blew their way from the nearby boatyard
for months at a time because of so-called 'repairs' on a 45-foot
sailboat the underwater surfaces of which were basically ground away and
replaced a layer at a time over a 9-month period.

Clandestine observers have reported that very little or nothing remains
of the original underwater structure and liken it to a contractor
building a house using a painting permit instead of a new construction
permit.

It has also been reported that Capt. Skip has hired various and sundry
'slave labor' and worked them up to 18 hours a day without paying any
overtime. And, some of the workers have been seen breathing clouds of
noxious fumes and dust not wearing as much as a particle mask. The EPA
and OSHA are investigating numerous other alleged violations of
workplace-related safety guidelines.

FEMA has also been on scene and it is rumored that papers are being
filed to declare the area a Superfund Site.

When asked to comment Capt. Grindlach replied, "I just don't get it! How
much pollution can come from only about two tons of GRP being ground off
and replaced with various other newer chemical formulations? I know
it's taken a lot longer than I originally thought but I'm a
perfectionist who cannot abide a half-assed job so I did it right. Now,
for them to claim I'm manufacturing a boat from the ground up - it just
sticks in my craw."