After Charley and Frances and...

Florida is the same but different

Last May 17th, the National Hurricane Center looked at the start of the 2004 Atlantic Coast Hurricane Season (June 1-Nov. 30th) and predicted "an above normal" period. As the saying goes, "truer words were never spoken"-especially for boat owners in Florida.

Almost three months later, Hurricane Charley roared into Florida's Gulf Coast. 1,161 boats insured by BoatU.S. were damaged or destroyed. Then, at the start of Labor Day weekend, a massive Hurricane Frances came ashore on the state's east coast, wreaking havoc in marinas between West Palm Beach and Cape Canveral, dropping as much as 20 inches of rain before crossing into the Gulf and coming ashore in Florida's panhandle.

BoatU.S had it's seasoned 30+ member Hurricane Catastrophe Team on the ground within 24 hours of Hurricane Charley's arrival (15 surveyors, 5 adjusters, 3 salvage yard staff, TowboatU.S. companies from Cape Coral, Charlotte Harbor, Ft Myers, Marco Island and Venice Beach, 3 truckers, 3 administrators and support staff from the BoatU.S. Jacksonville Claims Center as well as many subcontractors). As they completed work on the west coast, the CAT team moved across the state to handle claims from Hurricane Frances. Yet, while it's also been "an above normal" period for BoatU.S, Insurance, the team was well prepared long before the hurricane season began. Case in point: there was already a working relationship with four crane and barge operators along the Gulf Coast so when their services were needed for removal of boats blown ashore or from damaged boat lifts, the cranes and barges performed the BoatU.S. jobs as a top priority.

Mike McCook is one of the BoatU.S. Catastrophe team members sent to Florida, having handled salvage claims since 1974. McCook says Charley was unique. "Unlike a lot of the other storms, Charley was a narrow and very intense storm as opposed to being in a huge geographical area," he observes. "It came into a very populated area with a lot of mobile homes and a lot of boats in canals. Therefore, a lot of the boats we were dealing with --especially in the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda area-- most of our salvage work, immediately following the storm-- was of boats that were behind houses and kept on boat lifts. They fared the worst. They were put in unusual predicaments because while there wasn't a lot of surge tide, there was an incredible amount of wind. Most of the damage we've been dealing with is the result of boats that were blown off their lifts or knocked sideways on the lifts. Add to this the fact trees were down, you can see why access to the boats with a barge and crane was difficult in these areas."

Butch Rickey, a popular Pine Island Sound fishing guide who trailers his Talon-16 to the Punta Rassa boat ramp near the Sanibel Island Causeway Bridge, was knocked out of business for weeks after Charley. But he's back taking fishing aficionados out for snook and redfish around the 17-mile island in the sound and Gulf of Mexico. And he has this advice for anyone who have marked the calendar with a departure date for Florida:

"People should bring patience and a good attitude," he says. "Our economy has suffered a major blow. Yes, there is lots of damage, but in some cases it looks worse than it is. In many cases it's trees and roofs, and the down time will not be that long. The worst thing that can happen is for people to quit coming."

If Sanibel or Captiva Island are part of your destination plans, make a phone call before heading toward the Causeway Bridge. Businesses are slowly beginning to reopen on these barrier islands since the Causeway Bridge was deemed safe for travel in late August. The local Chamber of Commerce is working with the many hotels, resorts, B&B's and other businesses on the islands to ensure everything is running as it was before Charley's arrival before bringing tourists back. The concern is if the island isn't ready and a visitor has a bad experience because of problems stemming from the hurricane, chances are increased that they won't return. By this month, Sanibel and Captiva are expected to be ready for business.

McCook says the most common problem he saw with trailer boats was geography. And in most cases, there wasn't a darn thing anyone could have done to prepare. "It wasn't because they were on a trailer but it was that they were in the way of flying debris or structures that were around the boats. It would fall on top of them-things like trees, buildings, carports, siding off of a house, windows that are ripped out of a house or, in one instance, a car was parked near a boat was blown into it. A lot of the people down here did everything they could have done. They secured their boats the best they could, but this was an intense storm."

George Knutsson, president of American Boat Trailer Rental Company in Tampa, had every trailer he owned in service during the storms. "We rented everything," he notes, "and these were people who wanted to get their boats to higher ground, away from the coastal areas." Knutsson says most of the boats moved out of the hurricane paths were in the 22-24 ft range but he says there was a big demand for trailers that could handle 26-30 ft boats as well. Business has been good for the many Florida-based boat trailer manufacturers who are now working double shifts to supply demand for trailers. "If you open a local newspaper in Florida," Knutsson says, "you don't see a single boat trailer for sale. That's how heavy the demand is as a result of the weather we've had."

While there have been stories of long waits in line for ice or water or food in the days just after that Friday the 13th, Florida was better prepared for Charley than in hurricanes past. Like many boaters along Florida's Gulf coast, Butch Rickey was aware the storm was coming ashore-but didn't expect landfall to be near Ft. Myers/Pine Island or Punta Gorda. Forecasts had the center of the storm crossing 50 miles to the north near Tampa Bay and then, as a Category 2 (winds between 96-110 mph) instead of a Category 4 (winds between 131-155 mph) which it became. Still, having been through more than one hurricane since living in Florida, Rickey and others prepared their boats for what was coming-with the knowledge that forecasts aren't always accurate.

"I was in Lehigh Acres when the storm came ashore," he says. "It's the highest ground in Lee County, and the home I was in was layered in corrugated steel, and looked like a giant armadillo! Experience with hurricanes is what made me move inland. The first hurricane I can remember was in 1951, and I've been through a number of them as well as tropical storms over the years. When they say get out, you get out! The only thing I did with the boats was leave them in my boatyard, which is a large open area with no trees that could fall on them," he said a few weeks after the winds swept through Pine Island Sound. "I hooked my 17 ft. Maverick, a fishing skiff, to the tow van, and left the Talon on the tandem axle trailer by itself. I REMOVED the drain plugs from both boats. Had I known earlier that the storm was going to turn and come right to us, I might have done something differently, but they still survived very high winds without incident." (Note: It has been recommended that a trailer boat left outside during high winds, should have the drain plug secured and then filled with water to add extra weight so the winds can't topple the boat).

Jody O'Tool, who manages the Pineland Marina (a BoatU.S. Cooperating Marina) on Pine Island Sound says their boat ramp is ready for business and fuel will be available as well. A boat storage shed that was badly damaged is being rebuilt and should be available for use this month. "We aren't going to be operating at 100% as before," she says, "but we'll be able to handle customers. Pine Island has electricity so don't be scared away. We took a hit but it was more from the high winds than it was from any kind of storm surge." A ferryboat to the nearby barrier islands (North Captiva and Boca Grande) leaves from Pineland Marina and is expected to be operating this month too.

"If visitors are bringing their boats, they need to know Pine Island Sound looks like it took a nuke," says fishing guide Butch Rickey. "There is debris littered in the shallow water everywhere, but it becomes worse as you move north in the Sound. The deeper waters appear to be OK, and I didn't run across much that presented a navigation hazard. Just stay in marked channels as much as possible, cut back on the speed, and pay close attention. You'll be fine."

Now that his Charley-Frances Duty with the Boat U.S. Hurricane Catastrophe Team have come to an end, Mike McCook still thinks about one Member to whom he provided assistance with a claim. "He was a retired merchant marine who was first in line for a heart transplant but lived on a 26-ft sailboat. He had moved his boat to a protected area, set a pair of anchors and stayed onboard. He rode out the storm but the boat was dismasted and blown ashore." The hull remained intact (as did the Member) and McCook spent time reassuring him that everything was going to be OK. The man is still waiting for a heart but his boat is in good condition.

Suffice it to say, Florida has weathered the storm. And more and more businesses are again hanging out a sign that says, "open."
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Captain Butch Rickey Fishing Guide www.barhoppr.com
Pineland Marina (BoatU.S. Cooperating Marina) 239-283-3593