[Rhodes22-list] Hurricane Damage

[Robert Quinn]

Joseph:  I'm sure there were anchors off the sterns of some boats as there 
were still some visible lines off of sterns and bows when we got home.  I 
don't know about any tangling as most folks were moving very slowly and 
cautiously.

You have probably head that there is a move in Florida to order all vessels 
out of marinas when a hurricane watch is issued.  Sounds good I guess to the 
politicians but I wonder if they have any idea what they are asking?  Can 
you just see all of those boats anchoring all over the place?  I believe 
that would cause more damage than what was experienced.  Better marina 
design and closer monitoring of how vessels are tied up would solve a lot of 
problems.  I was down at the marina where I kept the R22 yesterday as they 
had offered me a slip for the T37.  I went to check it out.  I could not 
believe what I saw: very large boats improperly tied off with undersized 
lines. (Note:  There were some that were properly tied but they were the 
minority.)  Dock Masters are in short supply and probably underpaid.  I am 
going to keep our boat where it is even if it is a bit more inconvenient.

There was an item in the news today as local governments wrestle with the 
problem of sunk and abandoned boats: a couple of hundred in our area alone. 
The bill is causing a lot of backlash for boat owners.  The company that 
hauls them has to hold them for a time period to allow the owners ample time 
to claim their vessel.  Of course no one is expected to come forward as they 
will receive a bill for the salvage cost.

The slip proposed to me is at a marina that suffered considerable damage to 
the outside slips and boats when a seventy odd foot behemoth broke loose 
from a marina to the south and took out three marina and dozens of boats as 
she was pushed around by the storm.  The irony, the fellow who owned the 
boat came along and started it and motored off after the storm.  Officials 
have since caught up with him but I don't know whether he will be held 
liable or not.  Hope he had good insurance.  This boat should not have been 
at the marina where it was berthed as it was way out of proportion to 
anything in the area and the dock facility was not designed for a vessel of 
this size.

The Ft. Pierce City Marina took considerable damage but according to the 
stories circulating the cause was that the floating docks wend up and over 
the pilings with the surge.  The pilings were too short.

I am certainly no expert on the subject of marina design but I have watched 
these waters for 16 years and "almost" every marina is designed for fair 
weather.  There are a couple of exceptions but their berthing cost would 
eliminate a goodly percentage of us.

I would like to sail off to the British and US Virgins to get away from this 
but it is hurricane season there too!  {:>)

Bob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J Cook" <joscook at msn.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2005 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Hurricane Damage


Bob,

I like the idea of anchor off the stern to keep the boat from the dock.

I wonder if people in wet slips at a marine did that and if so, I wonder if 
there were problems  with getting caught in each others rode.

Some marinas up in St Augustine suffered a lot of damage, even with the 
sustained winds less than 80 mph.  Concrete floating docks crashing, etc.

Joseph