Crazy Wind Storm in Chicago wreaks Havoc on boats

[ragamuffin]

Most harbors where affected by wicked 50 knot winds. This video is the aftermath of a very windy night 15 boats where blown off there moorings and around 8 of those sank. This video shows boats in the early morning still floating a few where moved away from the wall the rest are now at the bottom. The big issue is that more than half of the boats mooring cans broke from the cement base on the floor of the harbor not at the mooring harness or boat cleats. Westec Marine will have a lot of explaining to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0dV1WxYlaI

 

[Mort Fligelman]

Monroe Harbor Chicago

Ragamuffin:

For me this is ancient history......spent 3 years in Monroe under Herb Eldean....before Westec was a glimmer......1966,67,68.....I vowed that I would be out of boating if I did not get into another harbor......and meant it sincerely......somehow the harbor was worse than the lake in a heavy northeast wind......on many an occasion there were whitecaps in the harbor.......

At that time the moorings were held down with any number of old railroad car wheels......depending on the size boat the mooring was supposed to hold....in all probability it has not changed since then..... if you are familiar with the history of the harbor, the coast guard was in charge, but Eldean was a squatter, and for some reason was not questioned as to how he got there until the 90's (if I remember correctly).....then the whole enchalada went over to Westec...I guess the graft was not worth the cost to the city.....I could go on Ad Nauseum...but you get the picture...

I doubt if Westec will wind up explaining anything....they will find a way to show it as boater neglect ot some such thing.....

All this being said......what a crying shame.....

 

[Grizz]

A Sad Groundhog Day (again and again)

Personally, these are heartrending images, as my previous boat was destroyed in similar fashion during a post-Mother's Day blow May 11, 2010. That boat was in harbor a total of 12+ hours, having been delivered the previous afternoon. Another boat drug her mooring system (concrete block, cable, ball, harness and boat) down on mine, the 2 thrashed all night in a weird mating ritual, tearing a 3' x 13' gash in the port side w/ all sorts of additional collateral damage, totaling both boats. Insurance covered what insurance covered, but the season was lost and Westrec/Chicago Park District assumed no responsibility (a word of warning: check the really, really fine print!).

Old and brittle mooring harnesses will snap like an old rubber band under these conditions, allowing the boats to pinball through the mooring field, so those boats still moored will need to be checked quickly for damage. Good luck assigning blame for insurance purposes ("uh, I think it was that boat"). Mooring systems will drag across the lakebed, allowing boats to bang into each other. Monroe is an active harbor that can turn nasty quickly.

Wise owners unhooked off their cans by Tuesday afternoon and holed up in a slip in DuSable Harbor next door, begging forgiveness if questioned.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that the lost summer of 2010 afforded time to seek another boat, which became an Olson 34, which in turn eventually led to the discovery of this website. Timing being everything, we un-stepped the mast last Saturday and took her down river Sunday morning. She was hauled on Monday and tucked away for the winter, avoiding this Big Blow. Whew!

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Reminds me of when I visited New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain eight months after Hurricane Katrina. There were a lot more boat's damaged and sunk though. Boat's in trees and on top of buildings. Big Boats! But we all know that story. Amazing to see in person though.

Westec operated a marina near where I am. It has been totally scrapped and rebuilt with help from the Port of LA now, but just a few years ago it was a dangerous dump with sinking docks and lots of extension cords hanging off 2" X 4"'s.

Thanks for the video clip.

 

[ragamuffin]

Monroe Harbor Wind Storm Aftermath Part 2

Here is part 2 after boats sunk. This shows Mooring cans still attached to there boats. Meaning hardware failure at the can not the harness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyhX6WqIZeA