I got a email at 11:29EST this morning. Didn't recognize the address and it was in my junk box but the title said UR Boat, so I opened it (I don't usually don't this). It said to call this # (I usually don't do this either). Turns out it was from my dock neighbor and he said Home Port Marina (in Palm Harbor) was hit by severe winds and maybe a tornado that ripped off much of the dock covered roofs and ripped my boat free (I'm in an open dock just north of the covered docks). I tie off the bow, stern and mid-ship with 2 dock cleats each. When I arrived all 6 dock cleats were ripped completely off the dock, and this was in good dock wood!! Even my dock 10" fenders which I tie to separate dock cleats were ripped off. Here's a note from my dock neighbor.
"I am so glad the boat was basically OK. I will give you the details someday over a beer regarding just how bad it was when it broke loose but I would personally find it hard to believe had I not seen it. Water was hitting the port side of our boat so hard that waves were literally crashing over the flybridge. We lost the aft bimini canvas but given the state of things this seems quite lucky. When I looked over for your boat it was literally gone. It floated out away from the dock by about 100 feet and then came back in and miraculously seemed to just miss the yellow power cat and landed against the dock directly behind it. I don't think it ever hit the seawall…it really did seem so fortunate. I was able to secure it temporarily there and ran to the store for help as I could not move it in the wind alone.
In the end I am just glad it all worked out for you and at least we both have a good story to tell with a happy ending"
I was able to recover both dock fenders and a port side vent cover that apparently got rubbed off by the adjacent dock piling. My power cables were ripped from the sockets in the boat and pulled into the water. This bent the prongs in the boat's socket and on the cables at the dock side. I think I can fix the cables and sockets, but will probably need new cables soon as they were in salt water for a couple hours. I did rinse the connections and will spray with CRC 656 when I get back to the boat. I feel very lucky that more damage wasn't done. My dock neighbor saved our boat!!
Some of the other boats were not so fortunate as the roof had fallen in on them and damaged the rails, top side and even broken windows allowing water to enter the cabins. The heavy rain, wind and waves caused additional damage until the rubble could be removed and broken windows covered.
The fact that 6 dock cleats were ripped up from good wood says something for SeaRay's cleats and attachment method, they looked fine from a quick look!!
"I am so glad the boat was basically OK. I will give you the details someday over a beer regarding just how bad it was when it broke loose but I would personally find it hard to believe had I not seen it. Water was hitting the port side of our boat so hard that waves were literally crashing over the flybridge. We lost the aft bimini canvas but given the state of things this seems quite lucky. When I looked over for your boat it was literally gone. It floated out away from the dock by about 100 feet and then came back in and miraculously seemed to just miss the yellow power cat and landed against the dock directly behind it. I don't think it ever hit the seawall…it really did seem so fortunate. I was able to secure it temporarily there and ran to the store for help as I could not move it in the wind alone.
In the end I am just glad it all worked out for you and at least we both have a good story to tell with a happy ending"
I was able to recover both dock fenders and a port side vent cover that apparently got rubbed off by the adjacent dock piling. My power cables were ripped from the sockets in the boat and pulled into the water. This bent the prongs in the boat's socket and on the cables at the dock side. I think I can fix the cables and sockets, but will probably need new cables soon as they were in salt water for a couple hours. I did rinse the connections and will spray with CRC 656 when I get back to the boat. I feel very lucky that more damage wasn't done. My dock neighbor saved our boat!!
Some of the other boats were not so fortunate as the roof had fallen in on them and damaged the rails, top side and even broken windows allowing water to enter the cabins. The heavy rain, wind and waves caused additional damage until the rubble could be removed and broken windows covered.
The fact that 6 dock cleats were ripped up from good wood says something for SeaRay's cleats and attachment method, they looked fine from a quick look!!