Irene tosses boats along Broad Creek
Published 4:18 pm Sunday, August 28, 2011
![WP-WATERFRONT-PROPERTY](http://www.wdnweb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2011/08/WP-WATERFRONT-PROPERTY.jpg)
“Our Waterfront Property” finds a dry resting place on the ground behind McCotters Marina. (WDN Photo/Cecilia Prokos)
It’s understandable if boat owners avoid the name Irene when it comes to naming their next vessels.
Boats large and small were tossed around by Hurricane Irene on Saturday, with some coming to rest on nearby roads.
Sam Purcell, owner of Captain Sam’s Boatyard, estimated Broad Creek rose more than 10 feet above normal.
“It was huge. The highest it’s been since I’ve been here,” Purcell said as he stabilized a sailboat that was listing to port in his boatyard. “A lot of water. A few floaters (boats that float away from their stations).”
Despite the storm surge, Purcell did not see much in the way of boat damage.
“There’s not a whole lot of damage. Most people lucked out, and we’ll be able to get them up. It could have been a lot worse.”
At nearby McCotter’s Marina, several docks were damaged after having been recently rebuilt. A massive fire in January claimed the north dock.
Two of the covered docks at the Washington Yacht & Country Club were inaccessible by foot as Irene twisted the wooden walkways.
Without electricity immediately available after the hurricane, repairs may take some time.
“How long is it going to be before we get electricity back down here?” Purcell asked. “It’s going to be a long time, I imagine. We’ve got a generator. We start immediately. We’ve got to get this boat out of the road. The DOT isn’t going to like that very much.”