Yes, a lesson learned, a lesson shared.
During the latter half of last week I made the decision to keep LAIKA at her slip in Mt. Sinai Harbor. Mt Sinai Harbor is located on the north shore of Long Island, NY and is the port just east of Port Jefferson Harbor, both of which empties into Long Island Sound. Both harbors experience a 7' tidal range.
The town uses floating docks and wood pilings for the slip. I was told the pilings are sufficient height for most Hurricanes, as most prepared boats at the docks survived Hurricane Gloria (Cat 3) in '86.
Setting:
Due to reasons I will not go into here (believe it or not), taking her to my house was NOT an option. FWIW, I do need a new winter home for her. Now most marinas were already filled with small boats ,or too exposed in that area. I wasn't leaving her in the parking lot where she could not be tied down, which was too exposed as well. A boat across the harbor lifted off the trailer from the tide surge and "sailed" away! While I won't say hauling was not an option, I decided that with proper preparation she should be able to ride it out given the current circumstances.
Preparation:
Prepping her included, pulling her back a tad from the dock. Extra Lines all about. Taking on ballast. Rudders up and pinned, Outboard up and locked. Centerboard up and secured. ALL canvas including Bimini was removed. Boom was removed. Shore Power Cable removed and stowed. Fenders out to starboard where another boat sat.
What occurred:
Because of the tidal range, most pilings (including mine) have some form of "Tide Slide" system that allows the lines to ride up and down as the tide rises and lowers. LAIKA's stern dock lines are attached to metal rings which slide up and down the metal pole, which in turn, is attached to the piling. As the tide rises, the boat pulls the ring up along with it. The higher the tide, the closer to the top end of the piling. Now add a higher than normal Astronomical high tide, Storm Surge, and you're near the top. So the load on the boat from a beam wind will bend the piling that much more! The higher the tide, the farther the rings are from where the pole is imbedded, the mechanics of Fulcrum and Moment. So the windward piling bent FAR enough during the storm, that LAIKA came into contact with the lee piling.
And that's the post Irene assessment of what happened.
High tide that day was 1106, IRENE hit the area about 0900. I made it down to the dock at 1230. I had to wade down a 3/4 mile stretch of water to the town docks. Strange to see fish swimming over a double yellow line. Finally got to there, saw what was happening, tightened the extra lines, which had stretched AND frayed, added more lines as well as a fender to the damaged corner. Wind was still kicking out of the south, still on her beam.
Went down again at to check on LAIKA at low tide, ~1730. She was still ok, no further damage. I re-adjusted the lines again and set a fender out on the port side. The wind was out out of the west now, off the bow, which made her ride in the center of the slip.
Here you can see the consequences:
Hurricane Irene battle damage
Lessons learned:
What I did right given the fact I was keeping her there:
1-Everything already mentioned in preparation. Thankfully I did pull her away from the dock even though it risked (in retrospect) hitting the pilings, with the way she was pitching and the dock was bucking,. THAT would have been ugly.
What I did wrong given the fact I was keeping her there:
1-Not put out fenders where she may have contacted the pilings.
2-For the additional lines, which frayed and stretch badly, I used my on board dock lines (which come with LAIKA and are only used to dock while I'm away)
which should NOT, as I discovered, be used as "hurricane" lines as evidenced by the damage. IMHO, the good old Nylon 3-strand held up quite well.
Avoid the brand from Horizon Ltd, sold at many boat shows, nice look and color selection, but they're only good for a temporary docking.
3-Not having realized that these older wooden pilings, when deflected at a high enough point, will move so much. BoatUS recommends new marinas use spun concrete for their pilings. I wonder what banging into a concrete piling will do lol.
In conclusion (finally):
Anyway, do I regret what I did...no. Was it a poor choice? Perhaps. Would I do it again? Perhaps NOT based on information I learned after IRENE. One boat sunk at the docks (water over the stern when the wind shifted), NONE at the moorings. I was told AFTERWARDS that I would have been allowed to use an unattended mooring (my own risk), and that Marine services like Sea Tow, Ralph's Fishing Station, had moorings for rent. So I think when the next one rolls in, hopefully not for another 25 years, I'll ride it out on a mooring. But in the end, unless you keep your boat in an abandoned salt mine, anything can happen. Just try your best, and learn.
Finally, I have boat insurance, which I've been paying for longer than I can remember. It's payback time.
It's the BoatUS Insurance Adjusters issue now.....
Fair Sea's and Following winds!
"Sub" Ed
S/V LAIKA
took the damage is definately fixable--a testament as to how tough the Mac really is.
