Wednesday, September 12, 2007

An Even Rougher Day - and Night - in Petoskey

OK, this is a follow-up post to A Rough Day - and Night - in Petoskey. Apparently it was an even rougher night for some of the other boaters in the harbor.

This sailboat across the way got its furling jib all wrapped around something and was unable to fully close it during the early part of the gale. By morning, it was in tatters.

But this boat had it much worse. It was a 17 foot center console on the other side of the harbor.

Believe it or not, they towed it upside down to the launch ramp located on the other end of the harbor. From there, they were able to right it. That's Phil doing the heavy pulling. Not much was being accomplished at that point though. Then, after taking the photograph, Bernie came down and put her hand on the line. That caused (embarrassed, maybe?) the other three fellows to spring into action, and within minutes, the boat was miraculously righted and they were able to bail it out and put it on a trailer.

"OK, we've got the posts taken care of. Now if you just pull a little harder, young feller, maybe it'll pop upright."

Other miscellaneous comments about the night:
  • Bernie wouldn't let Phil go out on the dock without wearing a big bulky orange off-shore life jacket. Although he felt somewhat sheepish when greeting others on the dock, he later learned they thought he was a Coast Guard official.
  • The Harbormaster was out on the docks at 1am checking boats, adding lines, and doing what he could to minimize damage. That speaks well of the way they manage the marinas up here.

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