Lucky Parker

[TomS]

I just received word that the docks at my marina were completely trashed last night due to the 12-plus inches of rain we received over the weekend, flooding the Merrimack River.

Luckily for me, my boat is still in the driveway, the only reason being my weenie Subaru Forester can't tow it. 90% of the docks have been damaged, twisted and torn up, and it looks like there have been a couple of boats that have sank or are heavily damaged.

In the midst of it all, there is one boat that seems to have escaped the damage all around it:

 

[TomS]

Zooming out a bit.. you can see the finger that extends out into the river and has collapsed back into the next finger downstream.. that very spot on the end is where my boat would normally be. I don't know where it would be now if I hadn't gotten lucky.

-- Tom

 

[TomS]

Here are some other shots, showing the extent of the damage:

-- Tom

 

[Porkchunker]

Wow...must have been some rain. Was the damage from the wind, or the high river?

 

[TomS]

Damage was a result of the extreme flooding. We have been lucky that the winds have been subdued. Some areas have received over a foot of rain, and the word is that several dams up in NH have let go. There is a lot of stuff being washed downriver. Several other marinas upriver were wiped out, with their docks coming down like a giant snowball as the amount of debris grew in size.

I went back this evening, and the docks are in worse shape. The good news is that TowBoatUS was able to get all of the boats in the pics to safety (except for the ones that had capsized). The Parker in the opening pic, along with 3 or 4 other boats, was pulled OVER several docks to get it to safety.

With the continuing debris being washed down, and the additional rain coming in the next day or so, I expect that there will be more damage and similar problems with the marinas downstream.

-- Tom

 

[Porkchunker]

I remember a couple of years back, seeing an entire dock with 6-8 boats still tied to it floating down the Suaquehanna. Same thing happened...so much debris floating down the swollen river that the pressure tore the docks from the pilings.

 

[Outta Here]

Ahhhhhh......the peace of mind that comes with a real self bailing deck :wink:

 

[drvan]

Tom S,

Last year we had a major nor’easter blow into our marina. Our docks were definitely in harms way. For more than a day it was impossible to even walk on the dock. Of the 20 or so boats on the most exposed dock, my Parker was the only to receive no damage. They are certainly tough boats!