PORT HADLOCK — Tenants of the Port Hadlock Marina can still see the effects of the Nov. 22 storm but are taking the damage in stride.
“A lot of people left after the storm but said they will come back once the repairs are made,” Assistant Harbormaster Rob Taylor said.
Taylor said the boats in the privately owned marina, which was protected by a retaining wall, were not damaged.
Five boats — all attached to buoys outside the breakwater — were damaged or destroyed.
Some of the damaged boats were moved to the Boat Haven boatyard in Port Townsend.
Debris from the destroyed vessels are still visible on the beach.
One sailboat was caught on the breakwater wall for several days after the storm and was removed Friday, Taylor said.
One fiberglass power boat broke apart and left a slick on the water noticed by the Coast Guard during an on-site visit Nov. 23.
During that visit, Petty Officer Shay Hutchings, a pollution control officer, ran water quality tests to determine the level of pollution and whether charges would be filed.
On Monday, Hutchings said the Coast Guard did not know the identity of the vessel’s owner.
The damage sustained by the marina includes an entire section of the breakwater coming loose, leaving a gaping hole — resembling a missing tooth — in the metal barrier that protects the marina from wind and water.
The sidewalk is cracked at a central junction, and the end of one dock is twisted.
Less visible, several bolts along the top of the wall are loose, which Taylor said weakens the wall.
Taylor said all the repairs should be covered by insurance, and he expected construction to begin in the next few weeks.
The marina is owned by Realvest Corp. of Vancouver, Wash., which is in the middle of selling the property to another company, Taylor said.
Taylor said he was not at liberty to divulge the name of the purchaser, but both buyer and seller are scheduled to inspect the property Wednesday at which time a repair plan will be developed.
Taylor, who is a live-aboard at the marina, said the storm was quite scary and that “everything was pitching back and forth.”
“I had to walk around hunched low, like a duck,” he said.
During the storm, he said, it was so cold that water would pitch over the retaining wall and freeze as soon as it hit the dock, causing icy conditions.
But even though he didn’t get any sleep that particular night, he still feels safe at the marina and feels that it will be repaired.
“We can handle 100-mile-an-hour winds here,” he said.
“Most of the real damage would come from large waves.”
Taylor said the location of the marina caused the winds to come from the south, which means the waves won’t get big enough to pose a serious threat.
On Monday night, Taylor was preparing for a storm that he said “would not be as serious” as the one during the previous week.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
