Another one? Stranded boat near Bradford Beach now joined by stuck barge

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- What began as an unusual curiosity on the shores of Bradford Beach has now turned into something of a waterfront comedy. "Deep Thought," the boat that’s been stuck on the sand for nearly six months, now has a companion: a pulling barge that was brought in to help remove it—and promptly got stuck itself.

“There’s a boat, and now they got a raft down there as well,” said Milwaukee local Brian Czarnecki, one of many onlookers who’ve come down to see the growing maritime mishap for themselves.

The barge, owned by Jerry Guyer—the contractor hired to finally remove Deep Thought was meant to bring the stranded saga to an end. But instead, it made things worse. Not only is it stuck offshore, but one of its pontoons has broken loose and is now drifting along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

“There’s another one, and another one. Is this the Bermuda Triangle? What’s going on?” joked Jody Wiskochil, who stopped by the beach, bewildered by the now two-vessel fiasco.

Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Deep Thought's long, strange stay on the sand might finally be over. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson had announced that an anonymous donor had stepped in to pay for its removal. But now? There’s double the trouble to deal with.

“That could become a very serious hazard to any boaters in the area,” warned Tom C., a longtime Milwaukee resident.

Jerry Guyer remains optimistic. He told CBS 58 over the phone Tuesday that he only needs one good day of calm weather to free both the barge and Deep Thought. But for many who’ve been following the story, that sounds familiar—and more than a little doubtful.

“You know when you’re getting in over your head, and you should say so, if that’s the case,” Tom C. said. “And it looks like they got in over their head here.”

CBS 58 reached out to both the mayor’s office and the county executive’s office for comment. Both declined.

So the question now isn’t just how to free Deep Thought—but how to rescue the barge that was supposed to do the rescuing. Until then, the saga continues to unfold on the sands of Bradford Beach, drawing crowds, quips, and more than a few confused glances.

Who saves the boat that came to save the boat? Stay tuned.