Help Rusty Recover After Boat Fire

On Thursday evening, January 23rd, Rusty Chrisley, with his 13-year-old Pomeranian dog by his side, was browsing the internet on his computer. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of smoke and decided to investigate. The smoke intensified, making it hard to see inside the cabin. He peered through the companionway and noticed that the flames had broken through at a stereo speaker in the rear corner of the cockpit. Despite emptying two fire extinguishers, the fire remained stubbornly resistant to his efforts.



Rusty donned his coat and shoved his phone into his pocket. He and his dog narrowly escaped the cabin as a nearby boater arrived with four additional fire extinguishers. However, even after emptying two of these extinguishers, the fire was too hot to approach safely.

Rusty promptly called 911, and the Deltaville Fire Department arrived swiftly. However, the fire was rapidly escalating. At some point, his propane tank detonated, and the lithium-ion battery bank on the opposite side of the hull caught fire. The aluminum mast’s base melted, causing the entire spar with boom and mainsail to crash onto an adjacent boat. The debris from the propane explosion settled on another boat on the other side, severely damaging its canvas work. Fortunately, the slips immediately adjacent to Rusty’s boat on either side were vacant, preventing the fire from spreading to other boats.

As evident from the photo above, the boat is a complete loss. It was a meticulously restored Pearson 37 sloop that Rusty had been reviving over the past few years. He had installed a new dinghy, davits, a reverse cycle air conditioner, new instruments, a radar, and over $30,000 worth of other upgrades. Additionally, the boat carried 30 years of tools accumulated over his career as an electrician and HVAC mechanic. The boat had been docked in a slip at the Fishing Bay Marina since August. Rusty and his dog, Star, were a familiar sight in the marina, and he was known for his culinary skills among the close-knit community of neighbors.

Unfortunately, Rusty has no insurance. He had faithfully maintained boat insurance on every boat he has owned over the years including this one. However, in November his renewal notice came with a very significant increase. Rusty knew he was going to spend the winter at the dock and thought his risks were minimal. How wrong he was. He is out more than $80,000!

Rusty Chrisley is a 72 year-old Navy veteran. His only income is Social Security and a small disability from the VA. He has little more than the clothes on his back.

Thankfully, the incident occurred in the early evening. Had it been two or three hours later, Rusty would likely have been asleep in the forward berth and likely never escape the ensuing Inferno.

Rusty maintained the premier BoatUS towing insurance policy but was surprised to learn would not cover towing his boat from his slip to the adjacent boat yard for haul out.. A distance of perhaps 200 yards! Despite his insurance policy, BoatUS charged him $1200 for this short tow. I have heard of many stories from other boaters regarding BoatUS policies and their tactics of denying claims, but of course they are owned by GEICO, a Warren Buffett money-machine. Great insurance until you have a claim! Comedic tv commercials are less amusing once you learn how insurance relies on the fine print in the part of the contract you never read on your “premium” policy!

Please consider making a donation to GoFundMe.com for Rusty‘s benefit. The entire process is painless and takes less than ten minutes. He is now homeless and temporarily living on another boat. In the first 24 hours after the incident he has incurred over $8,000 out of pocket in fees related to the aftermath. Anything you can spare would be appreciated by this live-a-board sailor. Thank you for taking time to read this plea.