I hauled my boat before the storm and was worried about the surge. I went to the marina at the height of the storm (wife loved that move) and all seemed ok.
I went back home and planned to go back around 3 hrs later at high tide. That's when it got scary. I pulled up to the marina entrance and one of the kids came racing out w/ his truck. He said he "barely made it out and your boat is almost floating". I waded about waist deep down the road and saw my boat sitting on the blocks with props/shafts underwater. 45 mins until high tide and getting higher. It was total bedlam, people racing all over the place.
I got onto the boat, dropped the hook and ran it over to a fence railing. I then ran a stern line to the travel lift behind me. I figured if it started floating at least I could keep it in the same general area. Next, I tied off the boats in front of me so they wouldn't float into my stern. I grabbed a wrench and loosened the drain plug so if it was close, I could let some water INTO the boat and maybe keep it on the stands. All of this in 60 MPH winds and now chest deep in water.
The tide/surge timing was dead on, it peaked at almost exactly the hour predicted. The water got to just below the drain plug and then started slowly going down. My last ditch effort would have been starting the engines and trying to hold my position for a while. I wasn't going down without a fight.
I was really lucky, another 10" or so and it would have floated right off the stands. A couple of boats sank, lots of busted up swim platforms for guys who stayed in. The marina has lots of damage, the water came right up to the clubhouse, garage and office were flooded.
After all that, I went home for a few hours to decompress, came back and it was like nothing happened. All the water was gone....
I'm in no rush to get back in even though the weather couldn't be better. There is so much stuff in the water, it's going to take a bunch of tide cycles to wash it all up on shore. I'm not the least bit interested in getting an insurance check, I know a lot of you guys can appreciate that. A lot of people who would just assume have a total loss.
Bob
I went back home and planned to go back around 3 hrs later at high tide. That's when it got scary. I pulled up to the marina entrance and one of the kids came racing out w/ his truck. He said he "barely made it out and your boat is almost floating". I waded about waist deep down the road and saw my boat sitting on the blocks with props/shafts underwater. 45 mins until high tide and getting higher. It was total bedlam, people racing all over the place.
I got onto the boat, dropped the hook and ran it over to a fence railing. I then ran a stern line to the travel lift behind me. I figured if it started floating at least I could keep it in the same general area. Next, I tied off the boats in front of me so they wouldn't float into my stern. I grabbed a wrench and loosened the drain plug so if it was close, I could let some water INTO the boat and maybe keep it on the stands. All of this in 60 MPH winds and now chest deep in water.
The tide/surge timing was dead on, it peaked at almost exactly the hour predicted. The water got to just below the drain plug and then started slowly going down. My last ditch effort would have been starting the engines and trying to hold my position for a while. I wasn't going down without a fight.
I was really lucky, another 10" or so and it would have floated right off the stands. A couple of boats sank, lots of busted up swim platforms for guys who stayed in. The marina has lots of damage, the water came right up to the clubhouse, garage and office were flooded.
After all that, I went home for a few hours to decompress, came back and it was like nothing happened. All the water was gone....
I'm in no rush to get back in even though the weather couldn't be better. There is so much stuff in the water, it's going to take a bunch of tide cycles to wash it all up on shore. I'm not the least bit interested in getting an insurance check, I know a lot of you guys can appreciate that. A lot of people who would just assume have a total loss.
Bob
