9 boats sunk 11 damaged

[Ken Honeycutt]

25 foot waves and 60 MPH winds outside the harbor.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/8318580-418/huge-waves-crash-sink-boats-in-monroe-harbor.html

 

[Ross]

No breakwater to be seen. Just like anchoring in the open ocean.

 

[Ed Schenck]

What a disaster! We saw some of this on the evening news but nothing of the marina. I used to work downtown and walk down there. But I don't remember, are there slips as well as the mooring field? Wonder if was just the moored boats. We see mooring balls among the wreckage. And the water is deep right up to the wall.

 

[Snotter]

No breakwater to be seen. Just like anchoring in the open ocean.

??? I grew up there. I've never seen a mooring in Chicago that wasn't inside a breakwater.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Just answered my own question. Using Google Earth I see the slips nestled in and surrounded by the breakwall. And so are the mooring fields. But the southern half of the field is very exposed to a northeaster. The opening is quite wide and there is a lot of fetch because the field is so large.

Just key in "marinas in Chicago" : http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

 

[cb32863]

No breakwater to be seen. Just like anchoring in the open ocean.

There IS a break wall there, sailed out of there with a friend this past summer.... A little research goes a long way.

 

[Paul Streicher]

Monroe Harbor in Chicago is populated with mooring cans. The harbor is protected by two breakwaters to provide protection against the prevailing N-NE storms. However, with the large entry to the harbor, the south end is not well sheltered and can be rough. The Chicago-style mooring harness recommended is at least 3/4 inch three strand, with 2 legs, one attached to each bow cleat and the other end spliced to a swivel on the mooring can. The harbormaster’s office and tender drivers would often complain that boaters didn’t replace mooring harnesses when frayed or take adequate protection for chafe. One newspaper article for this storm said a boater was warned that his harness was frayed, but he was unable to reach the boat before it parted. The “common” feeling in past years was that in many of these incidents the mooring harness was worn and not maintained.

 

[Stu Jackson]

And there's always Maine Sail's important advice about removing anchors in when you're tied up in mooring fields when expecting a blow.

 

[Terry in Naples]

Monroe St Harbor

I had a boat there for sevral years in the 80's. It was the worst system I have ever seen. The mooring cans tear up your boat ( they are 55 gallon drums) , the launch to get to the boat was unreliable and only ran at certain times, if at all. I never was able to get in contact with the harbormaster. (I do not know if they even had one) No place for a personal dingy, no parking nearby. You had to park in an underground garage blocks from the launch then haul everything to the launch area. It was really really unorganized. Overall to repeat, the worst harbor I have ever been in. But it is Chicago so what was I expecting?

 

[RobertLangdirect]

I have to agree with everyone that is less than sympathetic. It seem like the owners, like many other places, were far from attentative to their boats.

 

[Stu Jackson]

That's simply not fair.

I spoke with a buddy in Chicago this morning, While he did say that there was a two day warning, it really was a monster storm.

Don't be so quick to judge if you don't know the details. Sure, there coulda been a few bozos who didn't read Maine Sail's "take your anchor off" post (a few? ) and maybe didn't have the newest chafe protection on their bows, or brand new lines - at the very end of a sailing season.

I feel bad for everyone who lost something, but we just don't know the facts for ALL of those lost boats. One bad one coulda run into some others who were just fine until then. Ever anchored and had someone run down on you?

 

[med2463]

What a disaster! We saw some of this on the evening news but nothing of the marina. I used to work downtown and walk down there. But I don't remember, are there slips as well as the mooring field? Wonder if was just the moored boats. We see mooring balls among the wreckage. And the water is deep right up to the wall.

There are some videos on youtube after the storm. That's why they call Chicago the windy city. Worked there for 20 years, remember walking down the street and getting blown against a building. Had to be careful you didn't get blown into the street. Here is one of the videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyhX6WqIZeA

 

[Snotter]

There are some videos on youtube after the storm. That's why they call Chicago the windy city. Worked there for 20 years, remember walking down the street and getting blown against a building. Had to be careful you didn't get blown into the street. Here is one of the videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyhX6WqIZeA

They call it the Windy City because of all the hot air blown by the politicians and has nothing to do with the wind off the lake.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Strange but true. Cleveland news had a weather graphic last night. Cleveland averages higher winds than Chicago and more rain than Seattle! Thankfully we are way south of there, 60 miles.

 

[rickk31]

That could be true but in Cleveland someone would steal the wind or the rain before it could do damage.

 

[RON20406]

I have kept a boat on Lake Michigan for over 22 years. It is without doubt one of the most potentially violent bodies of water in the world due to it's size, depth and changeability. The moorings at Monroe Harbor are well protected and a vessel with good mooring tackle would undoubtedly survive the 60 knot winds we recently experienced. The problem is that many of the boats had marginal if not poor mooring lines with no chafe protection. Having lived aboard for ten years in south Florida and the Caribbean, I can attest that contrary to the popular stereotype, many Northern boats are not well maintained since the season is so short and many boaters prefer to sail their boats rather than maintain them to a reasonable standard unlike the southern boats that are sailed/maintained 12 months a year. This is not to say that all Northern boats fit into this category but walk down any pier at, say, Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, Florida versus a pier anywhere on Lake Michigan and you'll see the difference. It is unfortunate that some have lost their boats to this storm. Best, Ron

 

[higgs]

I disagre with Rognvold. Wintering in Florida, on the Gulf coast, for the past three years I am amazed at the junk I see there.

Monroe Harbor is not well protected. I spent the worst night I ever spent on a boat in that harbor - we're talking over 40 years of Great Lakes Cruising.

The big problem in Monroe Harbor is that it is open to the SE and, in addition, along the shore is a cement wall. SE waves pile in, bounce off the wall and go back out into the mooring field. This means that boats in the field cannot maintain their normal position of bow into the wind because of the wave reflection off the seawall. This puts unusual strains on mooring lines that, if they are an bit weary, will break and sen boats into the wall.

 

[Bill1565]

I have kept a boat on Lake Michigan for over 22 years. It is without doubt one of the most potentially violent bodies of water in the world due to it's size, depth and changeability. The moorings at Monroe Harbor are well protected and a vessel with good mooring tackle would undoubtedly survive the 60 knot winds we recently experienced. The problem is that many of the boats had marginal if not poor mooring lines with no chafe protection.

I'm sure I saw mooring ball(s) in the wreckage. Tells me the city did not adequately maintain. Same is alledged here in Florida, Ft Myers mooring field on the Caloosahatchee several boats broke loose in winds less than 60.

I have never trusted moorings, especially municipal moorings. I use big anchors, know my own rode, sleep better on the hook

 

[med2463]

I'm sure I saw mooring ball(s) in the wreckage. Tells me the city did not adequately maintain. Same is alledged here in Florida, Ft Myers mooring field on the Caloosahatchee several boats broke loose in winds less than 60.

I have never trusted moorings, especially municipal moorings. I use big anchors, know my own rode, sleep better on the hook

Article in Seaworthy Magazine regarding city moorings.
http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2011/october/irene.asp

 

[higgs]

I wish to ammend my post - on the west coast of L Michigan if you are open to the NE, many harbors are also open to the SE compliments of the Army Corp of Eng. In their defense I don't think these harbors were designed for pleasure craft sitting on moorings. Monroe has had other stroms in the past that have put boats against the wall. I am sure there are boats that did not keep fresh mooring lines, but I am sure other boats, reasonably well prepared, were just unlucky.