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Wild weather: Beached boats
By adamg on Thu, 10/23/2014 - 10:00am
Trees weren't the only things the nor'easter winds were pushing around overnight. Josh Ormsby reports on his commute along Quincy Shore Drive this morning:
On my way to work I came upon this sad sight. Wind and waves had combined to drive these boats on to Wollaston Beach. Little damage was apparent and a couple of the owners were on hand to figure out what to do next.
The National Weather Service has lifted its high-wind warning for the area, but still has a wind advisory until 11 p.m.:
ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG WINDS IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
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Comments
I used to live over by Old
I used to live over by Old Harbor in South Boston. Almost every time there was a big storm a boat or two would break free and end up on the beach.
Serious question: is this a frequent problem for boat owners? Seems to me like you would want to pull your boat out of the water by this time of the year anyway.
"On the hard"
Most boats ARE out by this time and tucked away safely in marinas 'on the hard' as they say. With the warmer weather this year it's been tempting to get just one more weekend on the water.
Because of the logistics of getting a boat hauled and prepped for the winter, reservations for a space and the hauling have to be made early.
Yes. Boats are anchored to
Yes. Boats are anchored to moorings with chain, rope and shackles holding them in place. If one link breaks or frays the next stop is the rocks or the beach.
Columbus day is more or less the end of the boating season is Massachusetts. The storms seem to get uglier after this date.
In my...
Seaside town, many boat owners used to look forward to storms...
Cut the mooring, the boat gets "whaled" on, and the insurance co. cuts a check.
Easier than doing costly repairs to aging vessles.
It's cheaper to leave your
It's cheaper to leave your boat on a mooring than in a marina (even "on the hard"), so that contributes to people keeping the boat on the mooring as long as possible. A good mooring that is kept in good repair shouldn't have a problem with anything short of a major hurricane. You can see in the second photo it was the mooring that detatched from the sea floor, not the boat from the mooring... this is an odd situation, probably the result of poor maintenance on the mooring, which might not even be the boat owner's responsibility, if the mooring is rented from a town or marina.
Some people leave their boat in the water year-round, both for cost reasons and so they can use it. I've only heard of this being done at a marina, not on a mooring, however.
My marina's docks broke in two or three places last night.
In my Great Lakes experience,
In my Great Lakes experience, only a few people left their boat in the water. You had to get some kind of device in your slip so that the water around the boat didn't melt or something. Also moorings are much less common than docks there and I find it's totally the opposite here. If I had a boat here I'd probably leave it on the mooring for some nice day winter sails.
Question: How do people on moorings get power if they're not out on the boat every day? My parents anchor a lot during their vacation so they have to run the engine to make sure the refrigerator is running. Do a lot of them have solar or something like that? Very curious.
They don't
They don't
The devices are aerators that just circulate the water.
There are more moorings here probably because of limited dock space, i.e. more boats than slips, which also makes slips relatively expensive.
I am confused by your
I am confused by your question. Why would they need power if they are not on the boat? Solar panels/wind turbines are really the only way I know to go.
Some people have generators
Some people have generators on their boats. Otherwise, they run off battery power. Some people may have solar power, but I don't think it is that common, around here at least.
Electricity is a convenience, not a necessity
I don't suppose there are many boats like our 1940s wooden sailboat, that have an icebox, gravity feed on the water tank, and kerosene lamps mounted on the bulkheads. The only thing to run off the battery (when it's charged because we motored somewhere) was a few low-wattage lights. Of course, the boat has spent 20ish years in my dad's side yard as he basically reframed & refastened it, but it's scheduled to go to a yard to finish up & go in the water next year, and all of the above will still be true! The electric lights will be brighter with LED bulbs :-) but the kerosene lamps will still be there. (Those who wonder will be happy to know it will now have a holding tank.)
Sailing in Mass. Bay much improved after Labor Day, when we actually get wind, but got COLD by the end of September -- that wind bites!
In my experience
Leaving your boat in the water as long as possible allows you to experience the ultimate in boating without all the yahoos around you. This is the best time of the year to be on the water.....nice and quiet, generally nice weather and no traffic. Take it out before the first fears freeze.
There are no slips at this YC
There are no slips at this YC, they are all on moorings. Probably had old chain on an old mooring block.
It is trash day in my
It is trash day in my neighborhood in Quincy and it is now all over the street with the leaves and a tree.
Bummed
I guess I will be the"child". Is that the SS Minnow!? Disappointed that noone beat me to the punch.