Hurricane Harvey Slamming Texas

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Great! Thanks!

Just heard from Seabrook Marina office. No real damage, just muck/debris from high water, and the electricity isn't back on yet.

Great news.

[tdoster]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Great! Thanks!

Just heard from Seabrook Marina office. No real damage, just muck/debris from high water, and the electricity isn't back on yet.

I'd made a bypass relay (with a selector switch) such that, if selected, my solar would automatically come on if shore power is lost, and then turned-off again when shore power returns. I'll be interested to see how well it worked when I get down there..

I'll upload photos when I do.

Interesting. I have a MidNite Kid controller and leave the solar on all of the time. When the shorepower is charging, the charge controller doesn't put anything into the batteries. Our issue down there is voltage spikes kick the breaker panel and can be a couple of weeks before we get back to the boat.

I will say that until the sun started shinning today, we were not making enough amps with 300 watts of solar to sustain. Loved having the AIS this time around. It is a nice feeling to see your boat where you left it and still pinging away.

[Eigenvector]

Key Allegro in Rockport is pretty torn up. Pictures and Video are hard to come by.

My uncle's House Boat, a Prout, and a 68' Carver took one of the docks with them and planted it in the back yard of a condo. House Bout and Prout subsequently sank in 5'.

Uncle's Shallowsport has gone walkabout from the covered lift barn?

Brothers Ben 411 mast was removed (1:00) in the video. The attached video was posted by one of the other guys in the marina.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6b...w&pbjreload=10

My brother is down there today cutting the mast loose.

I dodged a bullet last Monday when I stopped in Freeport Tx. (My new home port for the forseable future)

It's going to be a while before it's back to normal in Rockport. Lost of people lost houses also.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by tdoster

Loved having the AIS this time around. It is a nice feeling to see your boat where you left it and still pinging away.

^this.

Boat where it's meant to be. Check. Batteries still strong enough to transmit and not wiped out by 3 bilge pumps running continuously. Check.

Of course, I could get down there to find cavalier under a pile of other boats, with just the mast stood proud, but unlikely!

Mark this onto the "reasons to have AIS" threads..

Sent from mTalk

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by Eigenvector

Key Allegro in Rockport is pretty torn up. Pictures and Video are hard to come by.

My uncle's House Boat, a Prout, and a 68' Carver took one of the docks with them and planted it in the back yard of a condo. House Bout and Prout subsequently sank in 5'.

Uncle's Shallowsport has gone walkabout from the covered lift barn?

Brothers Ben 411 mast was removed (1:00) in the video. The attached video was posted by one of the other guys in the marina.

My brother is down there today cutting the mast loose.

I dodged a bullet last Monday when I stopped in Freeport Tx. (My new home port for the forseable future)

It's going to be a while before it's back to normal in Rockport. Lost of people lost houses also.

Sorry to here/see about your brother's Bene411 - foresail and mast all over the dock

[Cavalier]

As promised, pictures of Seabrook Marina. The first is C dock looking West - no evident damage at all. The second is a fallen fence (receding water) at Seabrook Shipyard. Other than some debris, and lifted asphalt, I couldn't see any other damage. Cavalier was exactly how I left her!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Eigenvector

Key Allegro in Rockport is pretty torn up. Pictures and Video are hard to come by.

My uncle's House Boat, a Prout, and a 68' Carver took one of the docks with them and planted it in the back yard of a condo. House Bout and Prout subsequently sank in 5'.

Uncle's Shallowsport has gone walkabout from the covered lift barn?

Brothers Ben 411 mast was removed (1:00) in the video. The attached video was posted by one of the other guys in the marina.

My brother is down there today cutting the mast loose.

I dodged a bullet last Monday when I stopped in Freeport Tx. (My new home port for the forseable future)

It's going to be a while before it's back to normal in Rockport. Lost of people lost houses also.

Interesting how many sail boats get dismasted at dock in marinas. Ive seen that happen in storms in FL too.

Watched a mast fall into an otherwise OK power boat once and do major damage.

[SailingFan]

Re the dismasting bit, is it because the rigging fails (chainplates, turnbuckles, mast fittings, etc.), because mast mounting surfaces or even the tube itself breaks or is damaged by corrosion or stresses, because they strike other boats, or do you think it is something else? I also wonder about this, because I am unsure how often an inspection of the mast fittings should be performed and am still learning about that...

I remember many tropical storms over the last three or so decades, and some were pretty significant impacts (some not so bad only because nobody was living where the right front quadrant struck), while others were not so bad. It sure is a sad situation when the boating community gets hammered like this.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by SailingFan

Re the dismasting bit, is it because the rigging fails (chainplates, turnbuckles, mast fittings, etc.), because mast mounting surfaces or even the tube itself breaks or is damaged by corrosion or stresses, because they strike other boats, or do you think it is something else?

You'll note on the video of the Bene411, it appeared sails/canvasses were still on the boat (in the video it look like the genoa can be seen, flaked/partly unfurled on the dock). It's very difficult or impossible for people not living on or near their boats to prepare as much as necessary, including removal of all possible windage from the rigging and decks. A bimini or dodger will add a phenomenal load to a boat under 110+mph winds, and if a sail unfurls or becomes unlashed, the it goes wrong very quickly. Tied to a dock, the boat has much less opportunity to heal or round-up to spill the wind and reduce extra loading - it's basically constrained in space and unable to change heading, the mast and standing rigging are the only items left (short of cleats/dock ripping away) which can 'release' the pressure under such circumstances.

[SailingFan]

Thanks for the rapid reply.

So then, I guess the noob question becomes that if the owner knows a storm is coming or likely, should they not drop/pull the mast and remove all that extra windage, stowing it in dry storage or even in a designated marina storage area for the week or two that the storm is likely active? It would seem that a business resource for the marina is being missed here.

I can see that many boat owners cannot do that (I for one am in that position in fact, so believe me I can "get" the problem financially with that given I am living in Florida and have a vessel on dry ground on stands at this time). However, for those that can, do they not do so, or are they counting on the storm to miss and insurance to take up the slack should the bare poles, stays, and halyards provide sufficient resistance to allow the vessel to impale itself upon others or onto pilings, or even onto the local railroad crossing?

I am not being mischievous here, I am just trying to form my own understanding and plan about the extent of windage that is created by rigging on my own boat, especially when it comes to vessels tethered to a mooring, on stands, or especially to a dock or rafted with other vessels.

It seems that the boats in congested marinas get taken out by other vessels, and if the boat is able to remain bound to a mooring or ground tackle in a firm bottom it has a far greater chance of survival (assuming another vessel or car, truck, house, etc.) does not collide with it during the storm's strike. Thoughts?

[SailingFan]

I see what you mean about fabric aloft. All those broken masts seemed to have that in common, sails on them, even rolled, but sails on them. I guess it is good I don't have a furler after all. I won't be tempted.

I also see that the mainsail cover apparently helped the one sailboat, as its main is still intact under the cover (seemingly tightly sealed!). I will definitely get one made as soon as I can for my Hunter. Will give me some good practice with the sewing machine!

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by SailingFan

Thanks for the rapid reply.

So then, I guess the noob question becomes that if the owner knows a storm is coming or likely, should they not drop/pull the mast and remove all that extra windage, stowing it in dry storage or even in a designated marina storage area for the week or two that the storm is likely active? It would seem that a business resource for the marina is being missed here.

I can see that many boat owners cannot do that (I for one am in that position in fact, so believe me I can "get" the problem financially with that given I am living in Florida and have a vessel on dry ground on stands at this time). However, for those that can, do they not do so, or are they counting on the storm to miss and insurance to take up the slack should the bare poles, stays, and halyards provide sufficient resistance to allow the vessel to impale itself upon others or onto pilings, or even onto the local railroad crossing?

I am not being mischievous here, I am just trying to form my own understanding and plan about the extent of windage that is created by rigging on my own boat, especially when it comes to vessels tethered to a mooring, on stands, or especially to a dock or rafted with other vessels.

It seems that the boats in congested marinas get taken out by other vessels, and if the boat is able to remain bound to a mooring or ground tackle in a firm bottom it has a far greater chance of survival (assuming another vessel or car, truck, house, etc.) does not collide with it during the storm's strike. Thoughts?

Living below 30degN, we are required to have a 'hurricane plan' filed with the insurance. I also gave a copy to the marina. The marina also has their own plan, which other boaters can use and adopt as their own.

As we were going to be away (from Houston) during the whole of July, i'd gone ahead anyway and removed the canvasses, and also dropped the headsail off the roller-furler - the whole operation, including flaking/folding the sails on the dock took 90mins. As we'd be away, I didn't want to take any chances in the event a hurricane appeared, and i'd be helpless to do anything. I took the canvasses home as I wanted to wash them at some point, run a needle over some of the seams in the bimini that need a bit of TLC, and maybe get the main 'laundered'. When we returned to the US, I hadn't got around to putting everything back on, as i'd been busy with other small projects. The only thing I had left to do to prep for Harvey was adding additional docklines.

I also used some spare lines to secure some of my neighbors boats. This is a key point! The safety of the marina as a whole is somewhat dependent on the community spirit when it comes to looking after, not only your own boat, but your neighbors too.

As you pointed out, it doesn't help too much if you're own vessel is ship-shape and Bristol fashion, and your neighbors boat looks like Huck Finn's ride.. that'll be the boat the rips through the other well secured vessels.

Ultimately, down in ClearLake/Galveston area, it's somewhat pointless taking the vessel out of the water during hurricanes, as the land is mostly only 2-3ft above the sea surface. Any storm surge will eagerly come and wash your boat off its stilts.. as had happened during the past few hurricanes with any considerable storm surge! This is a difficult concept to clarify with my Wisconsin insurers, when they ask why I don't take the boat out of the water each winter!

[Eigenvector]

My thoughts on the massive loss of rigging was due to the R-Panels flying into the cables and masts at 100+ mph. No need for canvas. The two covered storage areas were directly up wind (east) and 50yds away during the initial landfall.

The Beneteau 411 has in mast furling and the sail is in tack but the mast is kinked at the spreader. The base mounting lug is unscathed.

Or they could have all been sword fighting.............

Did a calculation and 130 mph is around 42 lbs/ft^2 on a bluff face. I wish I had time to head down there and do a pseudo failure analysis.

[Tx J]

Originally Posted by Eigenvector

Key Allegro in Rockport is pretty torn up. Pictures and Video are hard to come by.

My uncle's House Boat, a Prout, and a 68' Carver took one of the docks with them and planted it in the back yard of a condo. House Bout and Prout subsequently sank in 5'.

Uncle's Shallowsport has gone walkabout from the covered lift barn?

Brothers Ben 411 mast was removed (1:00) in the video. The attached video was posted by one of the other guys in the marina.
[vid cut]

My brother is down there today cutting the mast loose.

I dodged a bullet last Monday when I stopped in Freeport Tx. (My new home port for the forseable future)

It's going to be a while before it's back to normal in Rockport. Lost of people lost houses also.

I'll try to put several pics below that I've garnered online. Rockport was pretty well ground zero for Harvey's eye, and it was a Cat 4 as it crossed San Jose Is., Aransas Bay, Rockport-Fulton-Lamar, and Copano Bay (and before and after too, I pulled position/status from the NHC archive). Beginning ~1800hr on Friday, eyewall touching San Jose I., winds were 130mph. The gusts were likely 140-160mph (the gusts are the buzzsaw). Harvey was slow to exit, reached the mainland side of Copano Bay at ~0100hr Saturday per NHC.

Think this is a pic of Key Allegro Marina, doesn't look good, also a bullseye sat pic, and a view of the area south of downtown Rockport that shows the total destruction of that apartment complex just before the S. Church St. S-curve and BusHwy35 intersection, near Cove Harbor Marina & Drystack (2 drystack buildings also destroyed):

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by Eigenvector

My thoughts on the massive loss of rigging was due to the R-Panels flying into the cables and masts at 100+ mph. No need for canvas..

Indeed, heavy objects flying around in those winds would result in a bad day for anything they came in contact with!