TWL: Re: ADAGIO is damaged!
What about the damage to the docks and other boats??
I am stressed out too!!
The boat owners come down to the marina on a balmy Sunday
afternoon and loosen their docklines to get on the boat and then the
marina operator risks his life to save their boats
and the dock at 3:00AM Monday morning when a 50 Knot
cold front moves in!!!
Dan, I am sorry to hear about the damage to your boat, but as
a marina owner, I have seen this way too much, this is NOT directed at you,
but comes from many years experience operating a marina:
<This time I may have let my guard down,
<and made a mistake while tying into the slip. After all, I was under the
<spell of the most
<delightful weekend we have had recently. (And was so well described by
<list member Mel Knott in a recent posting).
I find that 95% of the boats do not break loose, they are not
properly tied in their slips in the first place!
Many owners are lazy and loosen the dock lines to step off of the
boat and never check to see if the boat will slam against the dock
or another boat after the wind or tide changes.
The owners spend great amounts of money and time on inverters,
electronic gizmos, and stocking the bar - but will not go to the
library for a free book on basic knots and hitches!!!
Before Floyd hit, I called over 120 of my customers and BEGGED them to
add additional lines to their boats -- only about 20 owners
came to the marina to prepare their boats with extra lines.
Of that 20, only 4 or 5 attended the hurricane watch.
Boat/US estimated $125 million in claims from Floyd!
My marina suffered no damage because we added docklines
and tended the boats over a 24 hour period. If we did not
baby-sit the boats - we would have seen damage too.
Many times I ask people to put on new docklines only
to have them tell me that they have new lines in the locker
but want to "save" them for cruising and do not want them
to "WEAR OUT" during use in a storm!!!
Many owners tell me that the boat is insured with Boat/US
or some other company (hear this Al Golden?) and that they
will just put in a claim after the storm. I see this as a form
of insurance fraud and this only raises the rates for the
responsible boat owner!
Hear this Boat/US and Al Golden and apply it to another
act of negligence and unnecessary insurance claims:
<After all, I was under the
<spell of the most
<delightful weekend we have had recently. >
Yes, it was sunny and warm here on the Chesapeake
last Sunday - but now we are in the first week of November
and the temp dipped well into freezing last night (there
was ice on the dog's water dish).
The same folks to lazy, ignorant, or indifferent about
securing seaman-like docklines to their boats
also wait until their engine blocks or the head freezes
and the boat sinks to add anti-freeze - just call Boat/US insurance -
they will pay for the damage and we can get that new engine
(or boat) we always wanted!
Many owners tell me - why spend money on a couple of gallons
of anti-freeze when a light bulb clipped on the fuel line over
the engine will do the trick?? Works just fine until the bulb
burns out or the boat burns up taking other boats and the marina
dock with it!!
The moral of this tale is that we all lose -
the marina has a damaged dock, innocent and
responsible boat owners have their boats damaged, and we
all pay higher insurance rates to subsidize this negligence.
There is a difference between an accident and negligence.
Brian Hall
CHB 45 "Any Sea"
Old Bay Marina
Baltimore
Hi, all:
Many thanks to all of you that have expressed concerns and encouragement
in the recent days, when I posted that our boat may have been seriously
damaged by strong wind, while tied at our dock.
We visited the marina this past weekend, to survey the damage, and make
arrangements for repairs. Much to our relief, the extent of the damage was
not as extensive as we thought, after the phone call we received.
There were indeed strong winds, steady 35-40 Kts, gusts to 55, for a period
of many hours. And a number of boats suffered damage, in various degrees.
ADAGIO did not fare as bad as others.
I have parked my boat in this slip for 6 years now, and gone through many
episodes like this, with no damage to the boat.
The eye of Floyd moved just a few miles down the road from this area,
and no boats were damaged then.
This winds were not expected... not to say we were unprepared.
With other boat owners we tried to analyze and learn why, and what happened
this time, that was different.
We agree that, more than the strength of the winds, the long duration of
the
blow is what created a nasty wave motion, especially considering the
extended
southern exposure here, in the Kent Narrows.
Then, added to that, water levels brought by the winds raised. In my slip I
normally have no more than 15" of clearance from rubrail to posts,on either
side
The post next to amidships is an old one, short, and it's top is usually
even
with my teak railing. I use two large fenders hanging vertically, with a
fender
board across, to avoid hitting the post. But this time, the rolling motion
of
our trawler was too much. The rail came up, and down on top of the pole,
braking a section, which we could not find. Not just cracked,
with
the broken piece dangling there. Just gone.
I don't know yet how much this is going to cost to repair, perhaps no more
than a few hundred dollars. Certainly a lot less than what I expected!
I have noticed often how much more rolling motion my semi-displacement
boat has, notably so when tied next to planing hull vessels. I should think
that KK's and Willard, for example, would show a more pronounced rolling
motion.
With such boats, wider slips are obviously needed to prevent what happened
to me!
I use 5/8" lines, including the two springs as permanent lines.
That is, they stay at the slip, and are fixed for AVERAGE conditions.
Despite your best efforts and when the tides exceed the average, you still
have
only 15" of clearance on either side. Anything else, and you risk breaking
the cleats,
with a 20,000 lbs. boat hanging on lines!
We carry a full set of 5/8"'s with ADAGIO, as traveling lines. Five fenders,
three are , and two are .Plus 2 fenderboards, which I use very
often.
Regardless of how careful an owner is when tying docklines, the size and
number of them, and the proper use of fenders, doo-doo will happen when
the averages are exceeded.
Mr. Murphy will see to that!
I hope that list member Brian Hall did not feel personally attacked when I
said
that greedy marina owners and managers are trying to squeeze just ONE MORE
boat
in already very crowded spaces. This is probably true in some older marinas.
With plastic boats lasting apparently forever (the jury is still out on that
one.) and new ones coming in at an ever increasing rate, available marina
space has not kept pace with the demand.
Maybe the size of the boats has gone up in the last 20-30 years, also. Or a
combination of all those factors.
I would like to see some improvements made in some of the older marinas,
such as the height of the posts. Many are way too short. And very close
together, too.
Not to mention the dismal condition of the docks, with crumbling, rotten
boards, protruding nails, bolts sticking out, just waiting to gauge your
hull. And the
sub-standard condition of electrical service, reversed polarity, missing
ground,
or just plain unsafe.
Water unfit to even wash your boat. But at least, the pressure is usually
too low, anyway. The total absence of safety ladders, to bring you back to
the pier in
case of an accidental fall.
The lighting around piers is often very poor, if there is any at all.
Light bulbs go unserviced for a long time. The facilities ashore...
(somebody please stop me!)... are in such unkempt state, filthy, smelly,
that the absence of hot water goes unnoticed for weeks.
The overcrowded parking lots are dark and unsafe, and during day hours
become a war zone, what with forklifts and assorted working equipment
speeding and milling about!.
Overpaid "marine mechanics" rival with each other in who can separate you
from your money with the least amount of service rendered.
"Repeat customers with the same problem, over and over, is a good customer!"
gleefully tell each other.
But the "creme de la creme" are some of the managers. Many of them repeating
the same phrase over and over again... "Take or leave, buddy!".
Or... "Those are my rules!"... followed by the first phase.
For the privilege of trusting your boat to such a place, you are expected to
pay a HUGE sum of money.
Bryan, none of this is directed at YOU or your marina, which I have
no doubts, is above reproach and an asset to that industry.
Some people see this exchange of ideas through the Web in different
ways. Some see a string of zeros and ones going by, others, ones and zeros.
The sender may not include all the details, restricted by time perhaps.
The recipient of the message may reacts to perceived threats, and rushes to
answer.
I hope that my experiences of last week will help some of the many trawler
wannabes
in the list, to plan ahead, especially when choosing a place to park the
boat.
Bryan Hall comments and concerns are very valid and true, the result of many
years in the business.
To the many more experienced hands in the list, all of this may be old and
familiar stuff.
But we can't forget that Mr. Murphy is always watching!
A little more cheerfully,
Dan Lobera
Before Floyd hit, I called over 120 of my customers and BEGGED them to
add additional lines to their boats -- only about 20 owners
came to the marina to prepare their boats with extra lines.
Of that 20, only 4 or 5 attended the hurricane watch.
Dear Dan,
I am glad you did not suffer extensive damage to your boat, but I cannot let
pass your fairly obvious distaste of most marinas. I am not a marina owner
but for over 20 years have been to many.
I have not found what you have. More the norm is the one where I keep my
boat now. The manager watches our boats. There are "get out of water
ladders" painted red. The power is good. There is USCG approved fire
protection. The maintenance is great. I have always had a choice of where
to put my boat. The marinas I have seen are not 100% full.
It is possible I'm in the minority, but my experience says, I can find a
good marina because my boat costs a lot and is worth it.
Phil Bolin
43' Vista
Pt Lookout Marina
I hope that list member Brian Hall did not feel personally attacked when I
said
that greedy marina owners and managers are trying to squeeze just ONE MORE
boat
Not to mention the dismal condition of the docks, with crumbling, rotten
boards, protruding nails, bolts sticking out, just waiting to gauge your
hull. And the
sub-standard condition of electrical service, reversed polarity, missing
ground,
or just plain unsafe.
etc. etc.
Phil and all:
In our marina, which I won't name, the docks were damaged by storms 2
years ago. We have 18" long threaded rods sticking up through 4x4's,
acting as clamps securing the pieces of dock together. They've been
there for 2 years. Nearly all of the lights that illuminate the docks
are missing or dark, so you can't see these trip hazards embellished
with impalers until you fall over them. The voltage at our end of the
dock fluctuates from 85 to 130 volts. Ladders? No, and at least two
people that I know personally have drowned in the last 3 years, falling
off their boats in the dark. Maintenance is non-existant and requests
for same, unless it's pretty simple, are greeted with laughter. But, on
the positive side, the rates are going up and the Marina is full.
No, not all marinas are this way. But the parent company that owns this
one is building a new one nearby, while management here continues to
claim, in defense of their no-maintenance policy, that you can't make
money operating a marina.
If there were an alternative, I'd take it. but most of the other local
marinas are also full, and this one is located conveniently, so I guess
we'll stay. And like it, too.
Russ
"Phil W. Bolin" wrote:
Dear Dan,
I am glad you did not suffer extensive damage to your boat, but I cannot let
pass your fairly obvious distaste of most marinas. I am not a marina owner
but for over 20 years have been to many.
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Russ and Donna Sherwin |
| "Four Seasons" |
| 1981 Marine Trader DC44 |
| Sunnyvale, Ca 94087 |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Many owners tell me that the boat is insured with Boat/US
or some other company (hear this Al Golden?) and that they
will just put in a claim after the storm. I see this as a form
of insurance fraud and this only raises the rates for the
responsible boat owner!
Amen brother!
We have what we call our "Hall of Shame" here in the office. It consists to
a large degree of photos of boats after hurricanes have made their
acquaintance. In every one of those photos ---EVERY SINGLE ONE--- there are
boats with what's left of their furling sails, Bimini tops, enclosures, etc.
flapping in the breeze after being used to present enough windage to tear
the boat loose from its mooring and destroy everything else in its path.
I may be just a bit more generous than you in attributing motive to these
acts. In the majority of cases I believe that it's just stupidity, not moral
hazard that prompts that kind of misbehavior.
Many companies today require a large deductible (double to ten times the
standard) for named windstorm damage, and that may apply to total losses as
well. That gives a boat owner a bit more to think about when faced with a
hurricane warning. Of course many don't have that capacity.... to actually
think. ;-)
Al Golden
International Marine Insurance Services