Freeport voters could decide whether long-landlocked ship gets to see the ocean

Freeport, Maine – A grass‑roots drive launched Monday to place a measure on the November ballot that would clear the way for an 80‑ton steel schooner, the Island Rover, to be floated out of a forested neighborhood where it has been stuck for more than three decades.

Backers of the vessel have 30 days to gather signatures from 10 percent of the town’s qualified voters, a threshold that, if met, will force the Town Council to hold a public hearing before the question goes to a town‑wide vote. The proposed ordinance would authorize a temporary, non‑commercial boat launch at a parcel on Shore Drive owned by Carter Becker, Arndt’s business partner, and give the pair two years to complete the launch. The launch could not remain in the water for more than seven months each year.

Harold Arndt, now in his 80s, began constructing the Island Rover more than 30 years ago using scrap metal from his job at Bath Iron Works. His original vision was to take a group of college students on an Arctic expedition while demonstrating innovative reuse of materials. The project later evolved into the Island Rover Foundation, a nonprofit that has spent years tangled in legal disputes with the town.

The latest ballot effort is the second attempt to secure voter approval. In June, supporters fell short of the signatures needed for the primary ballot, prompting the Town Council to punt the issue to the referendum process at its August 18 meeting rather than voting on the ordinance directly.

If the measure reaches the November ballot and passes, Arndt and Becker plan to haul the roughly 90‑foot vessel on a dolly system from its current private right‑of‑way onto a public road, then onto Becker’s property. Stone‑filled bags covered with wooden planks would be used to level the shoreline, and the ship would be supported by inflatable air bags once it enters the shallow water of Raspberry Cove. The cove’s mudflat only reaches about six feet at the highest astronomical tide, a factor that has already drawn scrutiny.

Neighbors living near the proposed launch site have raised concerns. They worry that a launch could accelerate coastal erosion, disturb wildlife such as horseshoe crabs and clams, and leave the heavy vessel stuck in the mud. The Freeport Coastal Waters Commission rejected a similar temporary launch request last year, citing potential harm to the cove’s ecological balance.

Supporters counter that the launch can be timed for winter, when many species are dormant, minimizing environmental impact. “We think that the voters would say, ‘Let’s just get this boat out of there.’ Let’s vote on a petition that does not require the boat to have a (town) permit, simply to transport it to the water,” said Twain Braden, an attorney representing Arndt.

Even if the referendum passes, the project would still need sign‑off from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Town Attorney Amy Tchao cautioned that the DEP is unlikely to exempt the launch from requirements that it not adversely affect wildlife. “It’s our expectation … that DEP will have a difficult time exempting this kind of use from the requirement that the temporary boat launching facility does not have an adverse impact on wildlife,” Tchao said.

Another point of contention is the scope of the proposed ordinance. Tchao argued that the language could allow any property owner in the district to build a temporary, non‑commercial launch without undergoing the town’s usual environmental review. “Even though this purports to be, and states that it is an ordinance to facilitate the one‑time launch of this one vessel, that’s not what this ordinance actually does,” she noted. Braden dismissed that concern, asserting it would be unlikely for another landowner to invest in a launch that must be removed when the ordinance sunsets after two years.

The legal battle over the Island Rover stretches back more than two decades. In 2004, town officials cited Arndt for violating residential‑zone restrictions on manufacturing after he formed the nonprofit. A 2014 court agreement required Arndt to move the ship within two years or forfeit ownership to the town, but the vessel never left. In February, Arndt sued Freeport, alleging the town had spent over 20 years in litigation, levying fines and blocking his launch attempts. The town has asked a federal judge to dismiss the case; Arndt’s lawyers want it sent back to state court.

A separate dispute centers on ownership. In 2016 Arndt hired Becker to help finish the schooner and secure its launch. When the town learned the following year that Arndt had mortgaged his property and granted a security interest in the ship to Becker, it sued both men, claiming the transfer was fraudulent and that the town owns the vessel and the land beneath it. That ownership case is scheduled for trial in December, according to Tchao.

Braden said the town’s shifting demands have repeatedly stalled progress. “If anyone in a position of authority at the town had ever said to our clients, ‘How can I help?’ this schooner would have been in the water a decade ago,” he remarked.

The upcoming signature drive sets the stage for what could be a decisive public vote on a saga that has seen the Island Rover become a symbol of both perseverance and legal frustration in this coastal Maine community. If supporters collect the required signatures, residents will have the final say in November on whether the ship finally gets to float.