Approximately five months after a boat was left at the Coupeville Wharf, port officials are beginning the auction process in hopes of recouping the thousands of dollars in moorage fees that have racked up.

The Port of Coupeville officially claimed the “Louie Louie,” a 40-foot Sea Ray, during its Wednesday morning meeting at the Coupeville Public Library.

The ordeal started in early October when the boat’s owner, Mark Nilson, tied his boat to the wharf and paid for several days of moorage fees. The watercraft has been there ever since.

Now that the Port of Coupeville has claimed the boat, Nilson has 10 days to decide whether he will contest the port’s action in superior court, said Jim Patton, executive director for the Port of Coupeville. The port is also going to accept bids in hopes of auctioning off the vessel.

Commissioners for the Port of Coupeville set the minimum bid at $30,000.

Commissioner Marshall Bronson said the minimum bid is low enough to ensure the port will be able to sell the Sea Ray.

Patton said the Blue Book value of a 40-foot Sea Ray is between $50,000 and $60,000.

Patton said Nilson owes $3,144 in moorage fees. Once the port covers its costs, the remaining money earned in the auction will be forwarded to a bank in Kalamazoo, Mich., which has a lien on the boat.