Work halted on Jimmy’s grandfather’s shipwreck

The decaying wooden hulk is that of the Chiquimula, a longtime Mobile Bay-area landmark, which was commanded for many years by Capt. James Buffett, a highly regarded Gulf Coast master mariner.

The vessel’s charred hull, buried for more than 50 years beside the shore of Blakeley River near the Causeway, lies in the way of plans for boat slips at Shellbank Landing, a planned 57-unit condominium project.

Last week, a diving contractor hired by real estate developer Dent Boykin and his business partners began using a high-pressure pump to uncover the underwater remains of what Boykin thought was a vessel singer Jimmy Buffett mentions in a song and in a book.