BEAUFORT COUNTY — As has become a somewhat of a trend after Hurricane Florence, the damages suffered by Beaufort County marinas are significantly less than those to the south.

According to reports from eight public and private marinas throughout Beaufort County, damages sustained as a result of the storm were minimal compared to what might have occurred had the storm brought stronger winds or tracked further north.

QUICK RECOVERY

While Dowry Creek Marina suffered some damage to its dock as the Pungo River crested, and had to deal with a flooded gas tank, overall the boats there fared well, with a number riding the storm out at anchor. According to the owners, Dowrey Creek is one of the only marinas with diesel fuel on a 100-mile stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway. According to co-owner Teresa Zeltner, the marina hopes to be fully operational by Monday.

At Washington Yacht and Country Club, dockmaster Ernie Glover reported that the facility and boats were spared major damages.

HAULOUTS ABOUND

As Florence was still sitting hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic Ocean, marina and boatyard owners were not sitting idly waiting for the storm to strike. At Bath Harbor Marina, every last boat in the marina was hauled out before Florence made landfall. According to marina owner Paul Minor, the process lasted approximately eight days.

Likewise, at McCotter’s Marina, haulouts were in full force throughout the week before the storm. According to owner Mark Henley, the process began the Saturday prior to the storm’s impact, and as a result, the marina suffered no major losses.

FLOATING DOCKS HELP

At Cypress Landing and Moss Landing Marina, floating dock systems helped prevent damage to both vessels and infrastructure.

According to Moss Landing Marina Employee Casey Boyd, the marina’s store was spared the rising waters that impacted so many areas of Water Street in Washington. After taking precautions and adding lines to the vessels in the marina, Boyd said that there were no major damages to any vessels.

Cypress Landing boat owners were also spared damages, according to dockmaster Bill Sholl, thanks partially to the floating dock system. At that marina, most boats remained moored at the dock, with a few smaller crafts being pulled out on trailers.

PUBLIC DOCKS WEATHER WELL

For the Washington waterfront docks, the biggest issue, according to dockmaster Rick Brass, is going to be the electrical system. While electricity should be available at the facility by Monday, in the long-term, inundated pedestals at the docks will likely need to be replaced due to corrosion, a project that could cost in the neighborhood of $40,000.

Due to the threat of tremendous storm surge, boats were ordered to leave the docks last week. Brass went on to say that boats at anchor in the Pamlico managed to hold well during the storm, with no major damages reported.

At Belhaven Marina, nine boats weathered the storm, suffering no major damages, according to dockmaster Greg Baker. Only a few missing boards had to be replaced as a result of the rising waters.