MALIBU, Calif. — Descending the steep cliffside steps to a slice of sand near Point Dume can feel like arriving on a deserted island. There are no cars as far as the eye can see, just a small tuck of shoreline accessible by foot — and only by those who are willing to follow a winding dirt path.
Walk a few hundred yards southeast along the coast and face what appears to be an hallucination. Is that really a shipwrecked sailboat? Sitting right there? Abandoned in the cove?
Indeed.
One morning at the end of December, a man sailing from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles is believed to have fallen asleep at the helm of the boat, which washed ashore just before sunrise. Both the sailor, whose name has not been publicly released, and his two cats survived without serious injuries.
The 37-foot-sailboat is another matter. It just sits there, on its side, a few feet from tide pools filled with bright purple and orange starfish.
The mast is gone, and for the past five months the wind and rain have weathered the deck beyond recognition. Whatever sheen there was has been replaced with graffiti.
An official with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors had not heard about the forlorn sailboat until a reporter called to inquire.
Removing it would cost at least $10,000, said Debbie Talbot, a spokeswoman for the county. A crew would have to crush it or drag it out to sea before pulling into a less remote harbor, she said.
“They’d have to talk with the owner, get his permission, talk to the insurance company, use a tractor or something,” Ms. Talbot said. “It’s not a simple matter.”
But since the beach is outside the county’s jurisdiction, the abandoned boat is not its responsibility, Ms. Talbot said after investigating the issue. Malibu city officials said the state has jurisdiction. And some consider the area to be private land.
Nobody expects the state to dole out the money for cleanup anytime soon — not with a looming multibillion-dollar budget gap and plans to shut down state parks.
But nobody has complained about the discarded ship here in the glittering sands of Malibu, either. Not the residents of the multimillion-dollar homes that are perched on the golden cliffs. And certainly not the children who delight in playing in the abandoned ship, imagining buried treasure and buccaneers, adventures and treachery, even as its glory fades.