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Irma report -east central Florida

960 views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  LIPRIS 
#1 ·
I know the Keys got just about wiped out - here on the east coast of Florida ( Cocoa area) storm did a lot of damage to anything on the west side of the intracoastal - the anchorage where I moor my Pearson 26 was pretty much wiped out - about 20 boats before the storm - only 4 left after - ( mine was one of the lucky 4) the storm also destroyed the park where the boat ramp was located and the wooden river walk in downtown Cocoa - the boats were a mixed bag - some derelicts and other nice livaboards - the nicest - Cabo Rico 38 - smashed up against the seawall - pretty much all the large boats were trashed - only 3 survived without damage - mine, a Hunter 25, and a Erickson 35. There was a nice SOuth African made boat that a couple was cruising on - well equipped - talked to them before storm - they were keeping the boat there on a large anchor but staying ashore - saw the boat sunk and smashed against boat ramp. All of these boats made it through Matthew last year - Matthew actually had stronger gusts - but Irma blew 50 knots plus for 12 hours from the east and southeast - building up huge wave /surge on the western shore - I am sure the increased wave heights is what got most. The marina.slips behind the condo next to me was destroyed - most boats on the lifts survived but anything in the water was sunk or damaged - marinas on the east side or marinas protected from the SE did OK- further up north a number of marinas were destroyed in Jacksonville area - I assume most in St Augustine sustained heavy damage - Jax is suffering its worst flooding ever. My old sailing Club - the Rudder Club - the docks were pretty much wiped out - Green Cove Springs Marina survived pretty well - a couple of sunken boats but not too bad.

The are probably 1000's of boats sunk or jammed on shore - Florida had a program to remove derelict boats in the recent years and had gotten pretty much all of them removed - now they will have to start over again with 10 times as many - how is going to pay?

Lots of smaller mom & pop marinas were damaged or destroyed - I don't see how they afford to rebuild - if they do it will take years - they will probably sell to developers - for the next 5 years - a lot less slips - the marinas that are left ( all ready getting $10-15ft) will go up - as I am sure their insurance will increase - $15 - $20/foot will probably be the norm in a few years ($600/month for a 30 footer) might make sense if your boat is newer - but who is going to pay that for a Cal 29 or an older Hunter 30 ?

The Keys were basically wiped out in parts - hundreds of sailboats lost - ( check out Boot Key Harbor FB page)

Not sure what happened on the west coast of Florida but their strongest winds came from the east so they did not get the storm surge many thought.

Bottom line - used sailboat prices may go down - there maybe be more bargains out there if you are good at repairs - but owning and storing a boat is going up - just finding a slip is going to be very difficult.
 
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#2 ·
Great analysis, and I think you are correct... it's been going that way for a long time.. fewer slips at higher cost. Trailerable boats might be the way to go-I love my Sea Pearl!! We have a home in Vero Beach and felt very lucky! Just wondered... we had 2.5' of storm surge in Mathew, but none really here during Irma... did all the water from this end of the Indian River end up in Melbourne? How much storm surge at that end of the Indian River?


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#3 ·
Timing seems to be a key - North Florida had been having a Nor-easter before Irma - so tides were already high - not sure why so bad in Melbourne /Cocoa area vs Vero - but it was certainly bad - again not just the anchored boats but the park and river walk were destroyed also by high water - it will be hard to launch the dinghy for the foreseeable future - no ramp access, plus the little community of boats is gone. Saw the owner of the Morgan 25 kayaking around looking for his boat - was not smashed ashore - so he figured it sank and lost its mast - where ? who knows - will have to be very careful sailing the next 6 months until all the sunk boats are located.
 
#5 ·
.....$15 - $20/foot will probably be the norm in a few years ($600/month for a 30 footer) might make sense if your boat is newer - but who is going to pay that for a Cal 29 or an older Hunter 30 ?......
That's less than the seasonal monthly rates around here and the marinas are full of 30 ft sailboats.

Very glad to hear your boat made it. Sorry to hear about the condition of the Cocoa Village waterfront. I've spent some time there in the past and am familiar with the places you describe. Sad.
 
#6 ·
I know the Keys got just about wiped out - here on the east coast of Florida ( Cocoa area) storm did a lot of damage to anything on the west side of the intracoastal - the anchorage where I moor my Pearson 26 was pretty much wiped out - about 20 boats before the storm - only 4 left after - ( mine was one of the lucky 4) the storm also destroyed the park where the boat ramp was located and the wooden river walk in downtown Cocoa - the boats were a mixed bag - some derelicts and other nice livaboards - the nicest - Cabo Rico 38 - smashed up against the seawall - pretty much all the large boats were trashed - only 3 survived without damage - mine, a Hunter 25, and a Erickson 35. There was a nice SOuth African made boat that a couple was cruising on - well equipped - talked to them before storm - they were keeping the boat there on a large anchor but staying ashore - saw the boat sunk and smashed against boat ramp. All of these boats made it through Matthew last year - Matthew actually had stronger gusts - but Irma blew 50 knots plus for 12 hours from the east and southeast - building up huge wave /surge on the western shore - I am sure the increased wave heights is what got most. The marina.slips behind the condo next to me was destroyed - most boats on the lifts survived but anything in the water was sunk or damaged - marinas on the east side or marinas protected from the SE did OK- further up north a number of marinas were destroyed in Jacksonville area - I assume most in St Augustine sustained heavy damage - Jax is suffering its worst flooding ever. My old sailing Club - the Rudder Club - the docks were pretty much wiped out - Green Cove Springs Marina survived pretty well - a couple of sunken boats but not too bad.

The are probably 1000's of boats sunk or jammed on shore - Florida had a program to remove derelict boats in the recent years and had gotten pretty much all of them removed - now they will have to start over again with 10 times as many - how is going to pay?

Lots of smaller mom & pop marinas were damaged or destroyed - I don't see how they afford to rebuild - if they do it will take years - they will probably sell to developers - for the next 5 years - a lot less slips - the marinas that are left ( all ready getting $10-15ft) will go up - as I am sure their insurance will increase - $15 - $20/foot will probably be the norm in a few years ($600/month for a 30 footer) might make sense if your boat is newer - but who is going to pay that for a Cal 29 or an older Hunter 30 ?

The Keys were basically wiped out in parts - hundreds of sailboats lost - ( check out Boot Key Harbor FB page)

Not sure what happened on the west coast of Florida but their strongest winds came from the east so they did not get the storm surge many thought.

Bottom line - used sailboat prices may go down - there maybe be more bargains out there if you are good at repairs - but owning and storing a boat is going up - just finding a slip is going to be very difficult.
Glad to hear your boat pulled through

Many slips in this area are comparable.
 
#7 ·
downtown Cocoa - the boats were a mixed bag - some derelicts and other nice livaboards - the nicest - Cabo Rico 38 - smashed up against the seawall - pretty much all the large boats were trashed .
Curious..by any chance do you know the CR 38 boat's name mentioned? We CR owners are a tight group and try to keep in touch with one another.

Thanks,

Clay AA3JY
CR 34
 
#8 ·
Had mine at a marina off of the Barge Canal and am very familiar with that area in Cocoa...live in Merritt Island. It made it. Stayed at the house and that really was a hell of a blow. Still no power or water, seems that the municipality (City of Cocoa water) lost some large transmission mains under the ICW.
 
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