villagecaremax.org 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week
VillageCareMAX is an HMO plan with Medicare and New York State Medicaid contracts. Enrollment in VillageCareMAX depends on contract renewal. Service area includes the
following counties: Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan) and Queens. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings, call 1-800-469-6292 (TTY: 711).
VillageCareMAX complies with Federal civil rights laws and does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-800-469-6292 (TTY: 711).������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
COURIER LIFE, N 14 OVEMBER 12-18, 2021
SAILBOAT
fl uids, there isn’t much
to worry about.
However, offi cials
have not been able to get
in contact with the boat’s
owner, and may even end
up issuing a fi ne.
“While unsightly, we
do not believe this to be an
immediate environmental
hazard,” said Parks
Department Spokesperson
Dan Kastanis. “The
Coast Guard has inspected
and removed the
fl uids on this vessel, and
it is not in the boating
channel. We are working
to contact the owner of
this vessel to coordinate
its removal, or pursue a
fi ne.”
There is no dedicated
funding source specifi -
cally for removing shipwrecks,
and they are
only performed on an
“as-needed basis,” meaning
it could potentially
be there for months or
even years. There is
also no one agency specifi
cally designated to
handle them: the Parks
Department has jurisdiction
over the city’s marinas
and the Army Corps
of Engineers has jurisdiction
over waterways,
while the Coast Guard is
tasked with remediating
environmental hazards
from wrecks and the
Police Department and
Fire Department handle
security issues.
When wrecks are
moved, they have their
fuel tanks removed and
are then transported to a
disposal site where they
are crushed and used as
landfi ll.
A review of Google
Maps imagery shows
that the boat was moored
off Manhattan Beach,
near Shore Boulevard
and Girard Street, at
least since 2017. Nonetheless,
the “Hull Identifi
cation Number” used
to identify a boat’s registered
owner was not visible
— Boatsafe.com notes
that HINs are typically
affi xed to the starboard
side, which in the case
of American Venture is
beneath the surface of
Sheepshead Bay.
Though, records from
the 3rd Annual United
Regatta hosted by the
Russail Yacht Club, a
boating organization
primarily composed of
immigrants from the former
Soviet Union, show
that the 54 foot American
Venture, built in 1982, is
owned by Dmitry Kupershmidt,
a member of the
Miramar Yacht Club.
Earlier this year,
Kupershmidt sued the
Miramar Yacht Club,
claiming that his membership
had been terminated
in retaliation after
he complained that the
club hired an unlicensed
electrical contractor to
do repair work which
never had permits fi led
for with the city. A judge
ruled that Miramar was
not within its rights to
boot Kupershmidt from
the club and ordered him
reinstated.
The Miramar Yacht
Club could not be reached
for comment, as its voicemail
inbox was full so
Brooklyn Paper was unable
to leave a message.
Kupershmidt also could
not be reached; his attorney
Erik Ikhilov was unavailable
for comment.
Continued from Page 6
The sunken vessel. Photo by Ben Brachfeld
Call to enroll or make an in-person appointment
1-800-469-6292 (TTY 711)
H2168_MKT22-11_M
/villagecaremax.org
/Boatsafe.com
