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