Well, I'm hauled and waiting

[Rich Stidger]

For the first time in 30 years of sailing I decided to haul and weather this storm ashore. The common advice is that boats ashore fair better that at a dock or on a mooring. I can come up with some scenarios that could challenge that advice, but I hauled anyway.

My yard started hauling on Wednesday and by Friday at noon they had pulled out 125 boats. I'm located toward the back of the yard away from the water and in nearly the highest part. However I am quite worried about the storm surge that is predicted- 5 to 10 feet with a 5+ foot spring tide. I am expecting that most boats in the yard will have 1-5 feet of water under them. My fear is that the lower power boats will float off the jack-stands and blow around to knock down other boats and the dominoes will start falling.

Of course staying on a mooring that is in a cove that is completely open to the south has significant risks also. I am in Bristol, RI and that is halfway up Narragansett Bay. Newport is south at the mouth of the bay and Providence is at the northern head.

I hope the worst case doesn't happen. Let's hope that we all come out of this safely and with minimal loss.

 

[Andy1237]

Good luck Rich. Just saw this picture of what looks like one of our Hunter brethren that had foundered and been beached. As soon as your date with Irene is over, let us know how you faired.

 

[igor]

Andy, is that the boat in Norfolk? Here is a video - makes me wonder though, what were they doing in open ocean waters during a hurricane?!

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2011/08/27/von.boat.rescue.irene.wavy?&hpt=hp_c2

 

[dscribner]

I've heard folks remark that they rather take a hurricane off sure than in a crowded harbor. Could they have been doing that and the motor failed?

 

[Salty]

What I heard is they were trying to outrun the storm on their way to Annapolis which is not a wise thing to do.

 

[Andy1237]

I no nothing more than what I've seen here, but if you notice their power cord is on deck. If I was trying to stay off shore during a storm I think I would put all unnecessary deck items below. My GUESS is they weren't running offshore but may trying to get to a better marina or hurricane hole for anchorage. It does look like a late model Hunter and maybe soon we will get the full story. Looks like all hands were saved so that's a good thing. (Maybe the cat will talk

 

[zeehag]

one report was they were trying to gain shelter--just a tad tooo late....

 

[Dan Johnson]

Another view...

shows it broadside on the beach. Looks to be a 44DS...

 

[zeehag]

looks kinda like toast now--i hope they either had insurance or can find a good salvage operator....still gonna cost a lot to fix...

 

[Forrest15112]

I've heard folks remark that they rather take a hurricane off sure than in a crowded harbor. Could they have been doing that and the motor failed?

That sounds like someone's last words.

 

[ggrizzard]

According to Fox news, they were planning to finalize their insurance arrangements on Monday!

 

[Rich Stidger]

It looks like we are OK....

It appears that we have dodged the bullet. Another Hunter owner who is at Bristol Marine heard from one of the launch drivers regarding the status.

​

Two boats in the harbor broke their moorings and went on the rocks. In the yard they had hauled about 175 boats in 3.5 days and one of the very last boats that was hauled somehow fell off the jack-stands and hit a second boat which in turn hit a third. A total of three boats were damaged in the yard.​

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Neither our boat or our friend's boat was involved.​

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They also anticipated that tonight's high tide and surge was not going to be an issue based upon the surge and high tide this morning. It turned out that the marina parking lot did not even flood as we all expected that it would.​

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Attached are two pictures that were posted on the web. One shows Bristol Harbor in the storm and the other shows one of the unfortunate boats that broke it's mooring and landed on rocks bordering the road to the marina.​

 

[Brian R]

Rich,
Glad to hear you made it through the storm OK.

 

[Witzend]

Hey Rich,
I think you made the right call from the sea condition I see in your photo.

 

[Bob S]

i decided to haul. Because I don't store my boat at my boatyard, they wouldn't haul me. I used Brownell and stowed it in their yard here in Mattapoisett. They're a mile inland with the mast stepped. It was very safe. I've used many riggers through the years and I tip my hat to these guys. I've been very impressed with how professional they work as a team. I was hoping to relaunch ASAP but now I want to wait and see where Katia is heading. We might be in for another .

 

[Scott T-Bird]

We've had record floodings all around us, power is still out and roads are closed. The rain impacted us more than wind. Denville is under water and I have heard that the power is still out throughout Morristown. Suprisingly, our house never lost power, but our neighbors just down the hill have had their generators on since Sunday and they are still on as I write. Traffic is still a total disaster, it took Sue over 2 hrs to get to work this morning. I took the week off to spend time with my brother and family from Iowa. We can't get out on the lake because the water is over the docks and the State Police have closed the lake to boaters. We can't get anywhere by driving so we're pretty much stuck. I am thinking about mountain biking but I suspect the trails are a washout.

 

[zeehag]

sounds like ye need kayaks... they can go anywhere. the lil plastic ones-- entry level flat water--- are fun and pack a lot of stuff or foods.....