Farewell

G

GaryPalsgrove

New member
C-Rapture is no more!

My wife and I had to watch as Ernesto tore our C-Dory 25 "C-Rapture" from the boat lift, bending the steel I Beam in the process, dash her up against the Rip-Rap before finally flipping her over and totally destroying her. As you can imagine, it was a traumatic experience.

By the time (eight hours later) Ernesto decided to leave our back yard, C-Rapture was no more. Only the lower portion was still there. She was salvaged and towed away. Another not-to-be-forgotten experience.

I had moved her to the back of the lift, raised the lift to the highest level and tied her down with half inch lines before leaving for a doctors appointment. Since we had received no weather warnings beyond "possible thunder storms", I thought she would be ok.

Lesson learned: Any named storm will now be considered a Hurricane and appropriate avoidance taken. All C-Dory owners in hurricane prone areas are advised to follow suit. I want no one to go thru what we did.

Gary Palsgrove
:cry:
 
Gary-

So sorry to hear about your boat! Hope your insurance takes care of everything, though I know they can't eliminate the trauma you went though. We out here on the West Coast don't fully understand how powerful the hurricanes and tropical storms are back in the Gulf and East Coasts. Let us know if there's amything we can do to help out.

Joe.
 
My Lord! Here we have not even heard of Ernesto (or at least some of us). I see it has been in the news a little by Googling it. What a gruelsome description! Very sorry, hope you had replacement value insurance!
 
damn, that would not be enjoyable. Hopefully, when boating season rolls around again, this will all just be a bad memory
 
From reports on the GL list, Ernesto sunk at least 10 large cruisers and who knows how many smaller boats (from one location listed). Sorry to hear your boat was lost -- but there's nothing like shopping for the new boat! :mrgreen: Get right back in the saddle!

As for hurricanes for those not familiar -- just rev the car up anywhere over 100 mph and jump out. Now do that for 10 hours straight, and you'll have it.
 
So sorry to hear about your loss the the C Dory 25! We certainly understand, haveing been hit with three major hurricanes in the last two years. Even though a storm has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm or depression it is still extremely dangerous. There can be microbursts or cells with winds well in excess of hurricane force. This is something which is fairly common in the South.

We do not leave our boats on the lift. Either anchor out in a protected area, using 4 anchors designed for 40 to 50 footers, and 8 to 10 lines to shore--pilings, trees etc, or we put the boat on the trailer and get out of dodge. We then get the boat and trailer into a secure area. For example one place we have found is the loading dock of a Wal Mart. The Wal Mart is long shut down, and we just back down into the pit in the lee of the building--there are usually some substantial railings to use for tiedowns.

If we are out in the open, (away from structures and trees) we keep the truck attatched, deflate the tires on the trailer to about 50% capacity, head the rig directly into the wind, and put the trailer sand screw fasteners into the ground--the ones we have are about 3' long and about 8" in diameter. You dig a small hole to start them, and then turn with a pipe wrench and cheater bar if necessary to screw them down into the ground. Use webing straps across the boat and trailer both for and aft.

We get at least 10 miles inland and at a height of at least 50 feet above mean water. These storms can do hellacious damage.

Again, sorry for your loss!
 
HI GARY,
SORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR MISFORTUNE.
BEING AN INSURANCE AGENCY OWNER, WITH 34 YEARS EXPERIENCE,
I CAN TELL YOU BOATING IS A VERY HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT. I CAN'T RECALL ONE BOAT WHICH RAN A PROFITABLE LOSS RATIO. REMEMBER THE LINE, "ON THE WATER THE TIME BETWEEN LIVING THE EASY LIFE AND DISASTER, IS BUT A MOMENT".
HOPEFULLY, YOUR CARRIER WILL MAKE YOU WHOLE AGAIN, AND THE HUNT WILL BE ON FOR THAT NEXT NEW BOAT. DID SOMEBODY SAY, 25-C-RANGER?
BEST REGARDS
PATRICK
 
Gary;
I too am sorry for your loss. I know how much love and care we all have put into our C-Dorys. Such a loss does leave a certain void. But, as has been implied/said before, it is a time to reflect and grow. Remember the wonderful times you had and look forward to the wonderful times ahead.

Langford Gathering awaits your arrival in another new C-Dory next year. Think of the new advances the factory has all setup just for you to display for us ol'folks. We can't have one of the 'C clan family not there to par-take of all those crabs and song.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your beloved C-Dory we too lost our boat the Hammerhead; only to thieves on labor day in front of our own home :cry .

I hope the Insurance makes it right as can be, I know by our loss that its so much more than a boat. Our hearts and prayers go out to you and hope to see you on the water some day with the joy we know so well that only comes from time on the water in a craft you love with friends and family :hot .

Smooth seas and great times to you my freind

Doug and Gianna Carroll aka Hammerhead
Sacramento California
 
Damnation Gary, I didn't even get to see her! For those that don't know, Gary and Wayne (on PASSAGES) are cohorts in the USCG Aux, Wayne being a Flotilla Commander and Gary his XO up aways in the Potomac from us. ERNESTO caught everyone here by surprise, we were up in our Northern VA home, not here at the river. Our boats were both in the water, lines doubled up, extra fenders. The C-Dory was fine, I use mooring whips to keep it away from the pier. The water was 3 Feet over the TOP of the pier. The sailboat (A Gloucester 22) broke her stern lines and was swinging away from the pier by her one remaining bow line which probably saved her. Otherwise, she'd have come down on the pier. Lots of trees down, probably 12 big Oaks and Hickorys, just laid down by the 65mph+ winds. We had 8+ inches of rain in 36 hours, things were waterlogged.

Just north of here in the Coan River, one marina was wrecked, many boats totalled and over 100 piers destroyed. This was as bad or worse (worse here at my place) than ISABEL two years ago when I lost 30 big trees. No damage to anything but my shed....

Here it was in 2003 just before being placed on its foundation...

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It's now two sheds....

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OK, why won't the pictures work! They are the last two in my album. Help someone...

Anyway Gary, I hope the insurance guys come through for you, my shed was worth about $4000, and wouldn't you know it, that's just about my deductible....Insurance here costs about $1400 a year too....

Let us know what you plan to do when you get over this terrible thing. I take things like that very personally, why me (why you?). You try to do everything right and sometimes it just doesn't work! :unlove :unlove :sad
 
Gary:

I was sort of feeling sorry for myself. I lost a brand new dock box that was bolted down to the dock in Kinsale. We are in the process of starting a house and moving to Kinsale in the next year or so. Then my buddy took me for a spin to see some of the damage done by Ernesto. Docks destroyed! A few boats lost. No one expected it! Then your post. So sorry to hear about your loss. Luckily, Swee Pea was on her trailer in Spotsylvania.

Somebody down the river (Yocomico) has a 25' C-Dory, unamed. It was still afloat.

Best of luck to you. Hope the insurance company comes through. Since it is so new, shouldn't they pay full replacement?

John
Swee Pea
 
I would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts concerning the loss of C-Rapture. Your prayers and wishes help more then you know.

The good news is that my wife and I have made a decision to get back in the saddle. We enjoyed the too short experiences on C-Rapture so much we have decided to buy another C-Dory 25. When the insurance payment is received we will be back on the water.

Looking forward to meeting many of you at next years gatherings.

Gary Palsgrove
:thup
 
Gary, Wayne had told me you decided to order a new one! Glad of it, hope to meet you tomorrow when you patrol with him down the river near where we are on Cod Creek! :D

Charlie
 
Just a P.S. to Ernesto. We were a lot luckier than Gary was and a lot more than other people too.

06_hurricane_006.sized.jpg


The pier extends out about 25' beyond the bows of both boats and was totally underwater. You can see the tops of a couple of pilings but at the peak, it was about 3ft under water. Winds were 65mph+ for over 4 hours. I wasn't there (thank goodness, I'd probably have done something stupid), this was taken by a neighbor and just sent to us. I had mooring whips on the CD22 with 4 other lines and 6 lines on the Gloucester 22 sailboat... the pilings beyond are neighboring piers. We are in a very "protected" creek about 1/4 mile off the Potomac very close to the Chesapeake Bay.

Charlie
 
Charlie – am I missing something? Is this a recent photo? There has to be more to the story. Was there a recent storm there?
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Dave dlt.gif
 
Dave-

Read the first page of the thread...Ernesto was a hurricane last year.

Charlie apparently just got access to the photos he posted.

Gary Palsgrove lost his CD-25 "C-Rapture" to the storm.

Joe.
 
Thanks Joe – I just read the previous post in the thread, so Charlies did not make sense to me at the time. Now it does.
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Dave dlt.gif
 
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