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Oriental’s Marinas > Whittaker Creek Marina

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hitaker Creek Marina Dockmaster Dan Steiger reports the facility weathered hurricane Irene well, escaping major damage to vessels and piers. Harder impacted was the marina’s club house. It flooded and will need extensive clean up and repair. Steiger says the club swimming pool filled with storm water and will likely remain closed for the remainder of the summer.

Whitaker Creek Marina as it appeared Monday. The marina occupies two docks on the creek of the same name. West Dock contains 23 slips. East Dock contains 59 slips. Pictured is one half of East Dock. A semi-submerged dinghy is visible off the shoreline.

Damage to Whitaker Creek’s East Dock. This finger pier was directly exposed to hurricane Irene’s force. It failed but the remaining finger piers remained largely intact. Other dock damage included missing boards and a few displaced or missing storage boxes.

Dan reports that, overall, vessel damage was minimal, largely confined to abrasions and some dislodged fittings. While some boat owners moved their craft, he reports “not too many left.” This East Dock vessel suffered more damage than neighboring vessels.

The East Dock appeared largely unaffected by Hurricane Irene. While the shore power electrical boxes suffered immersion, Steiger believes they are salvageable.

“Tara” dismasted. Between Whitaker Creek Marina’s East and West docks lies a fuel dock owned by Knute Bysheim. Larrry Summers’ ketch lost both her masts while tied here. The dock, and vessels berthed there (with the exception of Tara), escaped major structural failure.

Whitaker Creek Marina is owned by the Whitaker Creek Yacht Owner’s Association. This is how the club house appeared Monday afternoon. Dan Steiger, pictured, reports the structure flooded heavily. He says the first 4 feet of sheet rock, because it absorbed moisture, will need replacing. Citing additional repairs, he feels the club house will not be fully functional “for at least a couple of weeks.” Restrooms and showers should be available as soon as power and electricity have been restored.

The structure that houses the Whitaker Creek Marina club house has two occupants. The section pictured, owned by Knute Bysheim, suffered storm damage including flooding and a dislocated porch. The bench pictured on the roof was not deposited by Hurricane Irene. It remains from an earlier business.

Located just off the marina docks is Wally Chapin’s Oriental Sailmakers. Wally says the floor of his sail loft was covered in 6 inches of water but damage was minor. Early Monday afternoon, before his power had been restored, he said, “all I need is electricity to get back to work.”

Prior to Hurricane Irene, the marina’s swimming pool had been in use. Replacing the murky water with clean could take a while. Dan says the pool may remain closed for the rest of the year. Despite holding onto some of the storm’s muddy remains, the pool appears structurally intact.

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Posted Thursday September 1, 2011 by Keith N. Smith