I just read this on the web forum for one of my neighbors at Oak Harbor Marina in Slidell Louisiana. As most of you know, Slidell was one of the hardest hit by Katrina, and Oak Harbor was virtually destroyed. My boat survived, but most did not. Now, it seems as if there's another storm brewing in Slidell. I know some of the lists I'm posting this to are not directly concerned with this, but felt it would be of interest to boaters everywhere. Please feel free to visit Bianca's web site at http://www.jojamela.us There's a ton of pictures from the marina. Remember folks, this could happen to ANY of us, in one way or another: ===== I am LIVID!! Oak Harbor, our beautiful home which has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina is being ravaged again by unscrupulous marine salvors. Aqua Terra/Big Tuna has come into the marina and had decided that they own the world. I don't give a rats behind about contracts made by the marina to clean up the marina, but I do give a rats behind when slimey worms like Aqua Terra decide to block the harbor entrance and hold all of us boat owners as hostages to their greed. Basically it boils down to the fact that Aqua Terra claims exclusive salvage rights..... wait a minute!!!! I didn't give them exclusive salvage rights to my boat. I have my insurance with a reputable company who knows what they're doing. They won't buy into the blackmail terms that Aqua Terra is demanding and are ready and standing by to tow my boat out of the marina, do my damage assessment and pay based on the terms of my insurance policy. In the mean time, I'm homeless waiting for the insurance check because FEMA won't do a thing for us until our insurance claim is settled. So we sit and wait, sit and wait..... well you know what? I'm sick and tired of waiting. There are people trapped in the marina. They desparately want to get out. Their boats are seaworthy and they want to leave, but because the Aqua Terra worms are blocking the harbor, preventing our insurance companies salvage crews entry, no boats are moving from the pile or out of the marina..... in the mean time those folks sit and wait, sit and wait, sweltering in the heat with no electricity, no water, no sewerage (sorry porta potties don't count in my book) My blood pressure is up and that's not a good thing, so I'm going to do something about this. I'm calling the coast guard, wildlife & fisheries, the sheriff's department, the parish president, the mayor, the govenor and every newspaper, television and radio station that I can get my hands on..... please, help me spread the word- file a complaint- we're talking about people who have already been raped by a killer storm, must we now be raped by a salvage company's greed? _________________ Bianca Happy Sails to you~~ _/)~~ =====
Oak Harbor (Slidell, LA) Held Hostage??
- Thread starter Herb Parsons
- Start date
- Status
Nerts
The idiots are at it again. I recommend that even if you're not insured by them, contact BoatUS immediately. They have an obvious website address. They should be able to help. They're very good. Stu
The idiots are at it again. I recommend that even if you're not insured by them, contact BoatUS immediately. They have an obvious website address. They should be able to help. They're very good. Stu
Seems to me
you haven't abandoned a vessel when you left it in an anchorage or at a dock, even if the dock is gone.
you haven't abandoned a vessel when you left it in an anchorage or at a dock, even if the dock is gone.
Call St. Tamany sheriff
hERB, I would give the St.Tammany sheriffs office a call and ask for an escort out of the marina.Tell them you are being held there against your will. I don't know what leg these people are trying to stand on, but can't for the life of me see how it can be legal. If you get out and want to tie up at whats left of my dock give me a call. 985 246-9900 Best of luck Phil Prater
hERB, I would give the St.Tammany sheriffs office a call and ask for an escort out of the marina.Tell them you are being held there against your will. I don't know what leg these people are trying to stand on, but can't for the life of me see how it can be legal. If you get out and want to tie up at whats left of my dock give me a call. 985 246-9900 Best of luck Phil Prater
im echoing the need to call the sheriff on them
and possibly calling the Coast Guard, they are blocking a waterway, yes? If they are trying to force "salvage" on navigable boats, that’s tantamount to piracy, not good. You mentioned Big Tuna, whats up with them? Is this the same Big Tuna as in Fort Lauderdale? I know the owner and couldn’t imagine him acting like that.
and possibly calling the Coast Guard, they are blocking a waterway, yes? If they are trying to force "salvage" on navigable boats, that’s tantamount to piracy, not good. You mentioned Big Tuna, whats up with them? Is this the same Big Tuna as in Fort Lauderdale? I know the owner and couldn’t imagine him acting like that.
Problem Solved
Nice N Easy - Thanks for the offer, and I may still take you up on it when the time comes. For the others - the post wasn't really for me, my boat's OK, and I plan on leaving it there until the marina calls me and tells me I have to do something with it. Then I'm calling Bro' Easy. The problem was that folks that were damaged, and had to get salvors in there weren't able to. My understanding is that the company in question put their barge in the harbor after being contracted to clean up the debris, and set up booms completely blocking the marina. Private boats were allowed out, but commercial tow boats and salvors were not allowed in. Bianca (the author of the plea for publicity) sent a follow up email. Seems her husband got fed up and did exactly what was suggested here, he called the sheriff. I'll say this about the St Tamminy Parish Sheriff. I met him when I went down to check on my boat and drop off supplies. He wasn't rude, he wasn't mean, but there was something about the way that man carried himself that said "You not only better have a good reason for wanting in her, you better have a good reason for even thinking about it..." I told my wife that folks in St Tammany parish had little to worry about in the area of protection. Anyway, here's the email Bianca sent me... *** Raise a Stink ... Get Results Looks like the issue with Big Tuna/Aqua Terra is being resolved. The sheriff's dept came out and ordered them to remove their barge from the waterway. It appears that they were playing a two faced game with our Harbor Master but Mark is now in control of the situation. They were telling Mark and Warren Properties that they were allowing boats to be removed, but as we knew that was not the case. They have now been threatned with arrest if they don't remove the barge and allow folks to get their boats out. Now, don't mistake this for a free for all.... no one can move their boat if it's being blocked by another. All of this has to be done in an orderly fashion and Mark is the coordinator between the salvors, owners and insurance companies. Great care has to be taken to not cause damage to another boat. If you're deep in the pile, or blocked by another boat, your boat will not be moved until the owner/insurance carrier of the obstructing boat has been notified and their removal has been taken care of. Y'all be nice to Allyson and the other folks at Warren, they didn't cause this mess... Big Tuna did. They're concerned deeply for all of us and want to do what is right for everyone. If you have any questions or would like to talk to me, you can reach me at 985-502-8822 or 225-769-5226. Take care, Bianca
Nice N Easy - Thanks for the offer, and I may still take you up on it when the time comes. For the others - the post wasn't really for me, my boat's OK, and I plan on leaving it there until the marina calls me and tells me I have to do something with it. Then I'm calling Bro' Easy. The problem was that folks that were damaged, and had to get salvors in there weren't able to. My understanding is that the company in question put their barge in the harbor after being contracted to clean up the debris, and set up booms completely blocking the marina. Private boats were allowed out, but commercial tow boats and salvors were not allowed in. Bianca (the author of the plea for publicity) sent a follow up email. Seems her husband got fed up and did exactly what was suggested here, he called the sheriff. I'll say this about the St Tamminy Parish Sheriff. I met him when I went down to check on my boat and drop off supplies. He wasn't rude, he wasn't mean, but there was something about the way that man carried himself that said "You not only better have a good reason for wanting in her, you better have a good reason for even thinking about it..." I told my wife that folks in St Tammany parish had little to worry about in the area of protection. Anyway, here's the email Bianca sent me... *** Raise a Stink ... Get Results Looks like the issue with Big Tuna/Aqua Terra is being resolved. The sheriff's dept came out and ordered them to remove their barge from the waterway. It appears that they were playing a two faced game with our Harbor Master but Mark is now in control of the situation. They were telling Mark and Warren Properties that they were allowing boats to be removed, but as we knew that was not the case. They have now been threatned with arrest if they don't remove the barge and allow folks to get their boats out. Now, don't mistake this for a free for all.... no one can move their boat if it's being blocked by another. All of this has to be done in an orderly fashion and Mark is the coordinator between the salvors, owners and insurance companies. Great care has to be taken to not cause damage to another boat. If you're deep in the pile, or blocked by another boat, your boat will not be moved until the owner/insurance carrier of the obstructing boat has been notified and their removal has been taken care of. Y'all be nice to Allyson and the other folks at Warren, they didn't cause this mess... Big Tuna did. They're concerned deeply for all of us and want to do what is right for everyone. If you have any questions or would like to talk to me, you can reach me at 985-502-8822 or 225-769-5226. Take care, Bianca
hmmmm
When a bully trys to stop a kid from leaving the restroom, you hit them in the face. If you send someone to get the teacher, they will just do it again some other time. They only stop their ways when people strike back and stand up for themselves. If it were my boat being blocked by a barge and they did it on purpose, I think I would be looking for a way to sink their barge so they would think twice before doing that again.
When a bully trys to stop a kid from leaving the restroom, you hit them in the face. If you send someone to get the teacher, they will just do it again some other time. They only stop their ways when people strike back and stand up for themselves. If it were my boat being blocked by a barge and they did it on purpose, I think I would be looking for a way to sink their barge so they would think twice before doing that again.
Hitting Back
I don't think "going to the teacher" is the end of this, but it does get the immediate need taken care of. I've heard of at least one boat that was not allowed to have their tow boat in to take them out of their slip. The boat was taking on water, and subsequently sunk. I'm sure there'll be legal action. Bianca's husband is a Louisiana State Trooper. I suspect they haven't heard the last from him either. His immediate need was to get his Hunter out of the marina, but he sounded like he has a plan.
I don't think "going to the teacher" is the end of this, but it does get the immediate need taken care of. I've heard of at least one boat that was not allowed to have their tow boat in to take them out of their slip. The boat was taking on water, and subsequently sunk. I'm sure there'll be legal action. Bianca's husband is a Louisiana State Trooper. I suspect they haven't heard the last from him either. His immediate need was to get his Hunter out of the marina, but he sounded like he has a plan.
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