Hurricane Florence Hits the Carolinas, Sept. 14
H
urricane Florence came ashore just south of Wrightsville Beach, NC on Sept. 14 as a Category 1, but the storm surge from it had already developed, pushing waters to the coast as a Category 4 storm only a few days earlier. Although many marinas and boats were damaged, we received reports from three that survived the storm with little or no damage.
Coast Guard Closes ICW from Myrtle Beach to Georgetown Because rising rivers take a while to reach the Low Country, flooding of rivers in this area of South Carolina prompted the Coast Guard to close about 70 miles of the ICW between MM 345 to MM 415. Flooding waters in the rivers lowered bridge clearances, some bridges were closed and there was a danger of both submersed and floating debris. The closure, issued through a Coast Guard alert, created the area as a safety zone. Vessels wanting to enter the area had to first contact the Coast Guard for permission. The alert went into effect on Sept. 24 and was expected to last through Oct. 19 unless floodwaters receded before that date, in which case the safety zone was to be terminated.
Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC It was just six months prior to Hurricane Florence hitting North Carolina that Steve and Connie Zeltner moved down from Virginia to purchase Dowry Creek Marina. They’d planned to retire until they saw an ad with the marina for sale. Three of their adult children moved from different parts of the country to join the business. Located just a few miles east of Belhaven, Dowry Creek Marina lies just off the ICW near MM 132. The Zeltners were upgrading the marina and looking forward to the fall
season as boaters start heading south along the ICW for the winter. The marina has extensive facilities with deep-water slips, a saltwater pool, hot tub, clubhouse, store, fuel dock, LP gas refills, and more. They are planning to open a restaurant and bar. They put their life savings into the marina. Shortly after Florence hit, SOUTHWINDS contacted them to see how the storm affected them. Although the town of Belhaven flooded, the marina survived the storm in good condition, being on its own little island for a couple of days. One- to two-foot waves came in across the Pongo River (which the ICW is on). Water covered the fixed docks but the tops of the pilings stayed above the water. The water topped the saltwater pool and came within inches of the clubhouse floor. About a week after the flooding, the pool was cleaned up and clear water restored—ready for swimming. By Oct. 2, the fuel dock was reopened, pumping gas and diesel, and all services—the clubhouse, ship’s store, laundry, power and water—were up and running. Boaters can also anchor nearby and get passes to use the facilities.
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, Little River, SC From Alexei "Lex" Boyarsky, Dock Manager I'm happy to report that we have not taken any visible storm damage to boats at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club! Around the Club we had minimal damage with a downed tree, a
The Dowry Creek Marina docks. To the left (looking north) is Dowry Creek and to the right (looking east) is the Pungo River, through which the ICW runs. 28
November 2018
SOUTHWINDS
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