Apparent migrant vessel named 'The Miracle' in Spanish lands at Juan Ponce de Leon Landing
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Over Thanksgiving weekend, another apparent migrant vessel washed ashore at Juan Ponce de León Landing carrying scant clues of her former occupants: a black Puma knit cap, a wet sneaker, two soaked shirts.
Painted in black mirror-image lettering on its starboard hull: "El Milagro" — or "the miracle" in Spanish.
El Milagro marks at least the third unoccupied possible migrant boat to land along Space Coast beaches in recent weeks. U.S. Coast Guard officials have reported marked increases in the numbers of Cuban and Haitian migrants interdicted in waters near Florida.
More: Possible migrant boat washes ashore in Melbourne Beach with rusty engine, no occupants
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"When I was down in Marathon one time, I actually watched a landing on the old Seven Mile Bridge," said Melbourne Beach fisherman Steve Campeau, a Michigan snowbird who cast his line near the vessel Monday morning.
"They were in a Styrofoam boat put together with duct tape," Campeau said.
"There were three (occupants). I'm just curious as to how many may have been on board, because this one's a lot more seaworthy than the one I saw in Marathon," he said, gesturing at El Milagro with his fishing pole.
Juan Ponce de León Landing is a county beach park ½ mile south of the Publix-anchored Driftwood Plaza on State Road A1A.
Hurricane Nicole's beach erosion has made access to remove the boat difficult, said Matt Culver, boating and waterways program coordinator for Brevard County Natural Resources Management.
Culver said he will seek a quote from a contractor to remove the vessel, if it is possible to do so.
On Oct. 11, a makeshift vessel shaped from white foam blocks and a rusty metal frame floated ashore in Satellite Beach between Pelican Beach Park and Cassia Boulevard, sparking interest from photographers and beachgoers.
Then on Nov. 4, a blue, far-smaller wooden-frame boat with a rusted motor washed ashore near Fifth Avenue in Melbourne Beach.
On Friday, the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba's crew repatriated 180 Haitians after intercepting an overloaded sailing vessel that had struck a sandbar amid rough seas 25 miles south of Rodriguez Key, a small island near Key Largo.
The gray beached boat at Juan Ponce de León Landing had white foam floats lashed to its sides with netting to improve its buoyancy.
"I have mixed feelings. Part of me says we've got to do something curb the influx of illegal immigrants," Campeau said, standing alongside the watercraft.
"At the same time, when somebody is willing to put their life on the line like this, you've got to say they're desperate for the freedom that they're seeking," he said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Possible migrant boat El Milagro washes up at Juan Ponce de Leon Landing
