Hurricane Isabel

We went to check on the boat about 7AM but the only road leading on to the peninsula was blocked due to wires and trees down. We turned around and drove up to the Route 2 Bridge and took the service road that looped back under by the water. The water had already been really high in the last week or so to begin with.

This is a picture of one of the marina docks by the Route 2 Bridge over the South River.

	Under the Route 2 bridge on Friday morning.
	The same bridge earlier in the week.

We went back to check out the boat a couple of hours later and the road had been reopened. When we got to Turkey Point Road where the  marina is there was a line of cars lined up along the side. We drove in as far as we could. I brought my bike with me this time so I got it from the truck and took off down the road. The cars were lined up for a few hundred feet along with lots of people.

So now that I was on the other side of the flooded road I had to go back, once on the other side I ditched the bike and walked into the area trying to find the boat. Once I did find it and determine it was in good shape, I had to get it out before the storm surge receded. The bilge was full of water and the batteries were dead so none of the pumps were working. I had to get power before I could do anything else. I made my way back to the truck and headed to West Marine in Edgewater. I picked up a big battery that weighed about 45 pounds, a cooler, and the all powerful roll of duct tape and took off back down the road.

I put the battery and everything else I needed into the cooler and sealed it with the duct tape so that the cooler would float and not fill with water. I carried it from the truck to the water and started back to the boat. I took the two old batteries out and put in the new one and got the bilge pump working, I did not want to zap a new battery so I fired up the engine in the parking lot, there was just enough water for the impeller to cool the motor. This apparently attracted some attention, it was very loud since the motor was not fully submerged, think of a  Harley but times 5 louder. Four guys came over and wanted to know if I needed any help, they probably though this nut was going to try and push his way out under power, when I just wanted to keep my battery charged.

We got the other boats out of the way so I was able to float free.( I really wish I had pictures of this but I could not carry the camera) We weeded our way thru lots of other boats, by the time we got to the the edge of the dock we had to rotate the boat 180 degrees, the water was dropping fast, to get the motor in the water enough to fire it up. She started right up and backed down the dock about 100 feet and got out to the open water. I made around to the finger piers on the other side of the marina and another guy helped to tie up. The bilge was still full of water and the pump was not making any headway on all the water, this is when I found out that there was no plug in the bottom, so the pump was just keeping up with the inflow. I shoved some duct tape in the hole to buy some time and then proceeded to jump down into the 3 feet of water that was over the docks and made the ten minute walk thru the water to get a plug.

I made it back to the boat with the plug, for anyone that does not know about the location of the plug and how you put it in. It has to be done from outside the boat and it is located dead center at the lowest point on the stern which is now two feet under water so under I go and feel my way around and get the plug in. I then find out the bilge pump is starting to fail and have to bail the rest of the water out by bucket.

These were taken after most of the storm surge had receded.

This is a shot from the waters edge. The boat was found about 20 feet on the other side of the boat with the red stripe.

Some of the less fortunate, 6000 pounds of polished fiberglass on gravel is not a good combination.

More of the cleanup
There is a dock under here.

DA Boat with DA Coola

Later that afternoon