Winter Preparedness

[Tony]

Tuesday morning, we awoke to rain. This isn't unusual in Portland, Oregon. Then it turned to snow...again, not that unusual, we usually get an inch or two, and it's usually gone by noon or so. Not So This Time. After 5 inches of snow we got 2.5 inches of freezing rain=layers of ice. For a place like Portland, it effectively shut down the city. The handful of liveaboards on my end of the marina got together and broke ice to make pathways to each others' boats and the important facilities, while most of the rest just stay'd antisocial and warm. Of course, later on this bit them when more ice fell on their tracks in the snow, making their docks almost inaccesible. Wednesday morning found at least 8 people trapped in their boats by another inch of ice over hatch's and companionways. Our previously broken and shovel'd pathways were again broken and shoveled, and the other people stayed on their boats again, some because they were virtually trapped there by their un-navigable dock. A few of us tried to help. Upriver, a 60' wood tug that hadn't been used in quite a while sunk at the dock, spilling 500 gallons of diesel fuel. The next powerboat marina upriver had it's whole dock network sunk by the weight of ice on top of the cover, and the whole affair was generously held up by the floating moterhomes-I mean cabin cruisers whose flying bridges were either crushed or sticking through the roof.

Lessons learned:
1. Next time you're in your boat, ask yourself: If I'm trapped in here, what's the best way out, even if I have to break something, and can I do it quickly if my life depended on it?

2. Don't ever leave a thru-hull in that you're not confident in, even when way above the waterline...Ice can be really heavy, and I saw a lot of boats wayyyy down in the water.

3. Just how good is the condition of your marina's docks? How well do they float, how high, and do they float evenly or tilt to the side?

4. If you're moored near a riverbank, how strong are the trees on the bank, and if an ice laden branch breaks at the top, how much stuff is going to pummel your boat when it falls through all the other branch's?

5. Where are your tools? Mine were all in the aft cabin, inaccessable because the hatches were frozen over. Fortunately I had some tools in the truck...that''s another story.

6. Know your neighbors, and know which boats are lived in...it's incredible how quiet some livaboards are...my neighbor was trapped in his boat for half a day and no one even knew he was there.

Just a few observations for those of you who might face such a situation, and keep in mind, Portland doesn't normally get weather anything like this. They (Oregonians...I'm not one, I just live here) are calling this one of the 10 worst winter storms in 100 years...I didn't think it was that bad, but very few people were prepared. What kind of weather does your area normally not get?

Best wishes for the new year,

[Tim]

Ugh! I don't think there's anything worse than heavy freezing rain and ice accumulation. It wreaks more havoc than just about anything. Few places ever get regular heavy ice accumulation--so it tends to be trouble anywhere it happens. Ice is heavy!

Glad to hear all is well.