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Old 17-10-2008, 11:34   #1
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 4
Hurricane OMAR St Croic USVI

Boat details

Boat Year: 1977
Boat Make: Catalina
Boat Model: N/A
Boat Type: Sail
Boat LOA: 30.0
Entry details

Entry Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008
Entry Time: 12:44
Comments: St Croix USVI. Christiansted Harbor. 2 Days after Hurricane OMAR. Cat 3 hurricane passed just a couple miles off the east end of the Island. St Croix takes extremely high winds from the NW quadrant of the storm. C'Sted harbor in mid island on the North shore.

I’m ok. Nautica made out just fine. I had taken off the mainsail, boom and bimini. Also ran backup lines from the anchor rodes and bow cleats aft around the jib wenches, drew them down tight then to the stern cleats. Made for a pretty secure rig for the ground tackle. The storm winds were out of the N to NW at around 70-100 mph putting the strain on the N sandscrew. Nautica took a glancing blow on the port side leaving a small gauge about 2-3” long and 1/2 “ wide just aft of midships just below the toe rail, and some black paint (Love Inn?) on the freeboard on the port side. Also one portside lifeline stanchion was broken and several stanchions on the port aft corner had loose bolts to the deck. I’ll check them closer to see how to repair. I’ll also dive on the sandscrews (after the sewage clears the bay) to see how they made out.

Bob’s boat ended up holed and sunk at the boardwalk behind another 50 footer. Looks like the 50 footer may have broken free of her mooring and took Love Inn with her to the boardwalk. Bob is really down about his boat. Joes boat is ok. She broke free from the mooring but he had put out a couple of anchors and one of them held and saved the Frolic from going ashore onto the boardwalk. Jerry’s 48’ Out Island broke the mooring lines and ended up at the corner of Seaborne Airlines and the boardwalk bowfirst and hard aground but with no hull damage. He’s staying at my apt for now until he gets his 35’ Morgan livable. Should only take a week or so maybe.

25 to 30 boats either sunk or broken up and hard aground or smashed into the waterfront boardwalk in downtown Christiansted. It made me feel sick and sad to see these vessels lost in such a catastrphy. All boats that stayed tied to docks were lost as well as the docks themselves. All boats that had failed to remove bimini's, sails and sail covers on booms, were lost. All boats who were improperly moored (one 50 footer had the mooring lines coming off the bowsprit) were lost. Some boats we taken out by other improperly prepared boats. Most, if not all, boats that were properly prepared remained securely attached to thier moorings unless hit and taken down by other loose boats.





Watch Leader: Randy

Location information

From: Christiansted Harbor, St. Croix, USVI
Towards: N/A
Course: N/A
Latitude: 17' 45
Longitude: 63' 75
Compass True: N/A
Compass Variant: N/A
Compass Deviation: N/A

Vessel information

Boat Speed: N/A
Boat RPM: N/A

Environmental information

Sky Condition: black, full moon
Barometer Reading: 28.7
Sea State Height (feet): N/A
Sea State Direction: NW
Wind Speed (knots): 90.0
Wind Direction: N/A
Depth (feet): 10.0
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Old 17-10-2008, 11:46   #2
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Boat: 1994 Solaris Sunstream 40
Posts: 2,449
Bikerb, thanks for the report. Its good to hear that you survived Omar relatively unscathed; sad indeed, however, that others were not so fortunate. Your comments and advice concerning docked and improperly prepared boats is certainly sound - although one wonders if anyone would have escaped unharmed had the harbour been struck by the more dangerous NE quadrant of this cat. 3 hurricane.

Brad
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Old 17-10-2008, 12:25   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star View Post
Bikerb, thanks for the report. Its good to hear that you survived Omar relatively unscathed; sad indeed, however, that others were not so fortunate. Your comments and advice concerning docked and improperly prepared boats is certainly sound - although one wonders if anyone would have escaped unharmed had the harbour been struck by the more dangerous NE quadrant of this cat. 3 hurricane.

Brad

Brad,
You are right no doubt about the NE quadrant. With all the marinas on the N shore of St Croix, unprotected except for the few shallow reefs, the harbors took a real pounding with "nothing to protect from the wind...nothing but open seas. Had the winds been a bit stronger or longer in duration (heaviest winds present for about an hour then died off to 50 -70 for the next couple hours) the harbor would have been a total loss I'm sure. We were very lucky in that respect.
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Old 17-10-2008, 12:45   #4
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I love the fact that Frolic was saved.....
Glad to hear it wasn't any worse for all.......BEST WISHES in getting back to normal soon..........i2f
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