OCT. 99
JOLLY HARBOUR
HURRICANE JOSE DAMAGE REPORTS

I drove out to Jolly Harbour on the 21st (one day after the storm. The good news was that the damage to buildings was light. There is minor roof damage but as you will see by clicking on this image only the leading edge of damaged roofs were affected. Remember that there are 600 condos here. one or two damaged roofs should just mean that they move you to another condo.

The major damage at Jolly Harbour was to A FEW boats. Several had trouble in the water. A 55 footer broke loose, chewed half way through a dock and came down on other boats. One of the new wooden pylons gave way and a 50 foot Sunsail bounced alongside another dock. But for all that the damage was only to paint work and pulpits.

First Tri was not so lucky. She took off like a kite and landed upside down between the docks. I suspect her mast was damaged.

There were also problems at some of the private docks. My friend Tony Sayer from Runnaway Hotel had 3 boats damaged. As the storm came in boats stretched lines around the docks and Tony was too late to find a secure spot. He experienced a lot of broken lines and a dragged anchor. "Scoundrel" was rubbing either on the dock or the concrete wall and got scratched up. The other two boats were holed on concrete posts which he tied them to. Fortunately they didn't sink. That may sound like a horror story but Jolly Harbour is quite a secure hurricane hole and 95% of boats in the water were OK.

Some of those on the land suffered greater damage. My first boat "Quick Getaway" collapsed on her chocks and her mast came down on another, breaking both. I haven't owned that boat for many years but it was sad to see her in such a plight...... a new mast will cost many thousands $$$.

In the long term storage area many small power boats (up to 40 feet) were tossed around but the worst damage appeared to be to the beautiful wooden classic "Moonshine". She was salvaged many years ago by another friend, Ian, who over 7 years or more turned her from a wreck into a 70 foot showpiece. She was standing in a hole in the ground surrounded by tires... traditionally a very safe place in a hurricane. But the rocking of the boat was so intense it has warped and split her hull. A novice might not be able to tell but this is a SERIOUS problem that could take years to fix or might result in this $300.000 boat being written off.

For all the damage to the boats, none of this will affect any ones holiday and if you are booked to stay at Jolly Harbour your well earned vacation is safe. The excellent beach there is just fine and the complex boasts an excellent array of shops who will be delighted to see you.

I race my sailboat "Pumkin" at Jolly Harbour most weekends. It's a great place. If you do come and support our recovery come and find me mid-day Saturdays and we'll see if we can't get you a ride on a race boat.

The regular page on Jolly Harbour can be found here.

 

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