PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — An eight-month ordeal is ending for a retired couple whose boat, and home, was left stranded on the docks by Hurricane Milton’s storm surge.
Ernest and Lydia Sidwell watched Tuesday as crews prepared to pull out their boat "Livin A Dream," which Hurricane Milton dropped onto the dock at Laishley Park Marina.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the removal of the Sidwell's boat:
"It was an awesome boat," Ernest said.
The Sidwells told Fox 4 their retirement plan was to travel, and live on the water.
"We decided that living on a boat was better than buying a little place somewhere and sitting around waiting to die," Ernest Sidwell said.
Their retirement was interrupted by Hurricane Ian, which forced them to move back onto land to make repairs to their boat.
During this time, the couple faced an even greater challenge.
"We found my wife was diagnosed with cancer — she ended up going through surgery and chemo and everything," Ernest Sidwell said. "So we were concentrated on that instead of getting as much done on the boat as we wanted."
While dealing with repairs, insurance claims and Lydia's cancer treatment, Hurricane Milton made landfall in October, before the couple could completely repair and insure the boat.
"We were really close to having it finished — and Milton came in and took us out before we could get coverage back on it," Ernest Sidwell said.
The Sidwells have signed the boat over to the state, which will demolish it along with three other vessels that sank in the marina.
Despite watching crews begin the demolition work, the couple is focusing on what matters most. Lydia is now cancer-free, which Ernest describes as living a new dream.
"You can always get material things back, as long as my family and my pets are okay, the rest of it doesn't matter," Ernest Sidwell said.
Work to remove the boats from the Marina was paused Monday and Tuesday because of weather, but will resume Wednesday.
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