ROCKLAND, Maine — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Massachusetts man who claims that the Atlantic Challenge Foundation sold two of his sailboats without his knowledge.
The lawsuit was filed this week in Knox County Superior Court by Samuel Slaymaker against the nonprofit organization, also referred to as the Apprenticeshop.
Slaymaker claims in the lawsuit that he had stored two sailboats — a 32-foot cutter and a 28-foot ketch — at Atlantic Challenge’s waterfront property on Main Street in Rockland for several years, in exchange for loaning the organization expensive power tools and other machinery.
In May, according to the suit, Slaymaker received a letter from Atlantic Challenge saying he owed the organization $1,320 for storage and that if he did not pay, his two boats would be sold at auction. Slaymaker stated that he contacted the board of the organization, explained the situation and was told the auction would not be held.
He said in mid-June, he visited the property and found that the cutter had been broken into and unspecified valuable equipment had been stolen.
Slaymaker later found a buyer for the cutter and was making arrangements to move the ketch when he learned that his two boats had been sold at auction.
Slaymaker’s attorney Nicholas Walsh of Portland said Thursday that he has not been able to get much information from Atlantic Challenge about the sale.
He said he does not know how much Atlantic Challenge got for the boats, but that they offered his client a few hundred dollars. The lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract as well as the illegal sale of the boats.
Atlantic Challenge referred questions on the matter to its attorney Patrick Mellor of Rockland. Mellor said Atlantic Challenge disagrees with almost every assertion in Slaymaker’s lawsuit.
“It was unfortunate that Mr. Slaymaker has taken these measures,” Mellor said. “I am confident we will prevail.”