Hunkered down

[Andy Denmark]

Arrived back home day before yesterday to find all boats fine. Both boats moored out were as I left them. Alberg 30 at the tee head was fine, too, and that is amazing as tee head was destroyed. I'll post pictures later.

BTW, This is from an isolated server w/ linmited access so this posting will be short.

Oriental looks like the aftermath of an artillery barrage. Trees down, homes severely damaged, boats scattered throughout the town. Debris everywhere, yet the citizens worked together to help out neighbors, furnish food to those without, esablish communications (ham radio a key in this). No potable water anywhere, stores and restaurants closed, National Guard presence, typical Oriental response to these storms.

My down-the-road neighbors took it upon themselves to foist away the pier rebuilding supplies that were stored behind my garage and washed into the access road (in the night when I was aboard Rhiannon and out of earshot). These people are like characters out of a Faulkner novel -- lowlifes. Of course they deny this but my wood -- 6 X 6's, 2 X 12's, etc. is stacked in the woods on their property. "There's no way you can prove it's yours" was their reply when I approached them. Sadly, they are right and the cost to recover this stuff is more than the legal mess that's involved. Sad situation.

I am staying aboard Rhiannon at the pier -- cooler than the house with no A/C and everything works on the boat! Cell towers are inop as are phone lines. Major cleanup underway. House is okay except for all ductwork, underneath insulation, etc. and the heat pump was inundated by breaking waves. Water level topped the pilings at the pier but my mooring line security system worked as designed (or the Alberg would have been destroyed). SUpport agencies agencies are overwhelmed and return calls simply don't happen. State Farm has responded but absolutely no help from FEMA yet or Flood Insurance folks. Free food, ice, water at the fire staion with volunteers, National Guard, churches all pitching in. Sea HArbour Yacht Club had no significant damage except for tree on the corner of the clubhouse, dock boxes floated around everywhere, some minor pier system damage. But for a few rubs and rubrail dings the 90 boats there are all okay. Other marinas did not fare well at all, though. Major damage and sinkings. Have not been to town to look but scuttlebut indicates this.

I will get pictures and post more when there's time. I have people working at the house so need to get back and others need to sign on to this hotspot.

Thanks for all the PM's and supportive msgs everyone. Much appreciated.

Andy

[Cathy Monaghan]

We are back from our escape to Corning, NY. While there we visited the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Western Art on Sunday. Monday we drove to Watkins Glen and hiked down in the gorge. Then we walked around a little at the south end of Seneca Lake before heading for Wagner Brewery and the Wagner Winery. The Finger Lakes wine country is beautiful and a great escape from a nasty east coast storm.

Bruce & I returned Tuesday to a neighborhood full of downed trees and utility lines and the sound of generators. Though power was restored to our house and the rest of our block to the west, those just a few houses away, east of us, were still without power and other utilities. And though we had power, we still were without phone service, cable TV and internet. Work crews are still working to repair/replace utility poles/lines, so all of the utilities are spotty.

This morning, the drone of chain saws was added to the sound of the generators. A large tree landed on the roof of the house just 3 houses away from ours during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene's onslaught. And another 300 feet away a huge tree had landed between two houses but not without hitting them both and taking down all of the utility lines with it. We saw similar sites as we tried to walk around our neighborhood. I say "tried" since we had to keep taking detours. The police also have the road that leads into our housing development blocked off at the bridge where it crosses the Rahway River next to the dam for the reservoir in Clark. Though it's no longer under water, I think the bridge itself may no longer be structurally sound. Anyway, nobody can cross it.

By the way, both our house and the boat are fine.

I found the following slideshows and videos of storm-soaked Rahway on YouTube. Pick-and-choose to view as you like.

• http://youtu.be/gXp5P_EGAPc
  
  http://youtu.be/UDM5dwNDzq0
  
  http://youtu.be/2jk6_leL0JI
  
  http://youtu.be/EQdZ8zXJf8g
  
  http://youtu.be/rtAUlol9vQQ
  
  http://youtu.be/SAkT5hV-ZHU
  
  http://youtu.be/K7KkPMAmqUc
  
  http://youtu.be/4EC_I9tZAvk
  
  http://youtu.be/1nVgAJJf8nU
  
  http://youtu.be/W7eTLvdBCT8

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Andy Denmark]

Having Internet access from home is a good thing! I am back online with a temporary lashup but it's working and will work until things can be put back together. No WiFi to the pier but that's coming soon.

Oriental is in the midst of serious hurricane cleanup. Sounds of chainsaws and construction throughout town and most subdivisions. Debris is piled high everywhere, trees that fell on homes are mostly cleared off, boats are returning to their slips, those that sank are being raised. Municipal water and sewage back online and most telephone service restored. Restaurants and stores are reopening for the Labor Day weekend. These are not unusual events for Oriental as we have hurricanes as a part of life here. The low lying geography means quick flooding and equally fast drainage. Homes that are built to withstand such things fare just fine and the ones that aren't --- well, just look around and the difference becomes obvious.

My neighbor's entire pier is resting in the road 1/2 mile from his house! His riding lawnmower cannot be found anywhere. Water depth in my shop reached almost 4 ft and got the big power tools I couldn't raise up -- table saw, etc.

The yard is cleaned up with only a few larger limbs to be dealt with. House is fine except all ducting and underneath insulation is shot. HVAC is inop but wx is mercifully comfortable. I'll be able to sleep in the house tonight after 5 days of life aboard at the pier. Only close call came from 2 snakes yesterday -- a canebreak rattlesnake on my front porch and a redbellied water snake with a nasty disposition who emerged from the slimy depths of the still-torn up workshop. Both were promptly dispatched to snake heaven. Big jobs ahead with pier rebuild and assessing workshop damage.

I am taking a well deserved rest now that most basics are back in place and the post-hurricane plan is underway. Still have not seen FEMA, homeowner adjuster, or HVAC contractors and I'm patiently awaiting "my turn." Could have been much worse but it's very protected here and my damage is minimal compared to those in town.

The best news is that all boats here are untouched.

Pictures to come when there's time to post them.

Later

[mahalocd36]

Cathy, glad to hear all okay! We hauled Mahalo, better safe than sorry. Decided to just keep her out and start on projects with the hope of launching early next year. We'll see.

Anyways, here are some pictures/video from our prior harbor, Mattapoisett. Note the one sailboat that left their headsail on the furler...unfurled. They were able to haul 140 boats before the storm hit. Only 2 broke free of their moorings.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1159152873 ... Irene82011#

Does anyone know how the boats in Falmouth Foreside, ME faired? There were a fair amount of boats left there. I hope they made out okay.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Melissa:

Those are some amazing photos and video Wow

[Parfait's Provider]

Makes me nervous just watching it. Wow!

[chase]

Wow, that is a really open mooring field, impressive so few ended on the beach with that lively fetch. Great pics and video, what were the wind speeds there?

Hard to understand the roller furling thing, they are so easy to drop. Their choice I guess, but I would not consider that a good neighbor in a storm.

Andy, glad things are looking up -- weather looks awesome for a few days.

Chase

[Markst95]

Its painfull seeing the Stone Horse Cutter on the beach, its such a pretty boat...

[Warren Kaplan]

Sorry I didn't get into this until today but my power was out until yesterday. My CD27 in Oyster Bay did fine. I removed all canvas and closed down all vents. When I got back to Oyster Bay there wasn't a drop of water below and everything was exactly as I left it on deck. NICE!

At home, on the south shore of Long Island, I was under mandatory evacuation. I spent two days at relatives. My house is on an inlet of the Atlantic. We had a storm surge that brought water up over my bulkhead. Only the second time that's happened in the 30 years I've lived here. But the water only came 10 feet up on my property (not 10 feet deep). House had no damage or flooding. Just electricity/internet/land telephone outage. Not so bad except for cold shaving and cold showers!

[Joe Myerson]

Rich,

Those were scary pix of Mattapoisett, especially that poor Stone Horse.

On our side of Buzzards Bay, things were pretty good. My own boat had no damage (well, I lost one telltale on the starboard shroud) and had a dry bilge.

The club dock lost two sections in the storm surge and one small catboat (Wenaumet Kitten) broke her centerboard, while a Beetle cat sunk.

--Joe

[captzigzag]

My 33' was in the boatyard, Marsh Harbour, Abaco. The eye center went about 15 miles east. The scary part was I couldn't get any info for about 3 days.

Luckily I only had the solar panel blow off, but no damage. The upper stainless was secured with set screws. We'll put a weld on it and take the panel off when I leave.

The bright side was the eye of the hurricane was lose. If it had been tight all hell would have broke lose. All's well that ends well.

[mahalocd36]

Wow, that is a really open mooring field, impressive so few ended on the beach with that lively fetch. Great pics and video, what were the wind speeds there?

It's got a lively fetch on a Good day, never mind a tropical storm!
Looks like it was blowing steady 40s for a while, gusting over 60, see here:
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... 11&month=8

which is the next harbor north. It stops when the power went out....

According to the boat yard manager, there were only 2 boats that parted from their moorings: The stone horse which had a deck hardware or mooring line failure (not clear..), and the boat you see going through the mooring field with it's foresail unfurling.....

BTW the pictures were sent out in an email from our ex-boatyard. I was nowhere near Mattapoisett. Safe and dry at my home in Maine, with my boat hauled out (in Maine, where it gratefully had died down by the time it got here...)

[Warren Kaplan]

So now there is this Hurricane Katia "sort of" heading in the general direction of the Carolinas, but too far away for an accurate coarse (course) prediction. If its to make the US coast they seem to figure by Thursday.

I was going to go up to Oyster Bay and bend the sails back on. Its a chore...I don't care what anyone says. To get it rigged just right...its a chore. And then to have to take them off again, and bag them if Katia turns this way....NO THANKS!

I've decided to leave Sine Qua Non in hurricane ready condition until the forecast clears. I opened the vents on the boat but that takes 15 minutes to reclose down should the storm come to Long Island again (BITE MY TONGUE!!)

[Sea Hunt Video]

Warren:

Now you've gone and done it. If everyone had just kept quiet about Katia it is possible she would not have noticed us

Here is a website I have used as a supplement to NOAA/NHC.

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tr ... model.html

Leaving my new-to-me Cape Dory 25D in the NY/NJ area until the end of hurricane season in South Florida is beginning to look like one of the more colossally stupid things I have done in my life - and I have done many, many stupid things.

[Joe Myerson]

Warren,

I spent most of yesterday (09/02) bending on the sails and putting all the potential deck bombs back in place. It was worth it, though--a perfect September day with infinite visibility and a cool, almost chilly, north wind.

Only got two hours on the water--but what a two hours!

Now, of course, I might have to reverse the process again later this week. But then that's part of sailing.

Fair winds to all, and may Katia keep to the east of us (and spare Nova Scotia, too).

--Joe