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hen Whittaker Pointe was constructed, the plan was to construct a breakwater that would extend the point out farther, protecting the marina. The marina was not able to get a permit from CAMA (NC Division Of Coastal management) for that – CAMA cited concerns on the effect it might have on the fish nursery in the Neuse and neighboring creeks.

Whittaker Pointe Marina. Amid the masts in January was a construction crane.

Whittaker Point naturally protects the marina from most directions, but a strong southwest wind did leave the marina exposed. Ashley Erwin, Dockmaster, says they decided to get creative and worked with CAMA to see what it would permit. Those discussions led to the wave attenuator that has just been installed – designed to stop waves from the southwest.

For the past few weeks, a work crew has been retrofitting the outer dock at the 53 slip marina, so that waves coming off of the Neuse are significantly slowed down.

Ashley Erwin inspects the dock being reworked

Whittaker Pointe’s Dockmaster, Ashley Erwin gave a tour recently as the work was wrapping up.

The concrete “hog slats” that you’d normally walk across, had been pulled up, allowing the Broad Creek Construction crews to drive 14-foot lengths of hard vinyl bulkhead material in to the creek bed. The bulkhead material is driven several feet into the mud (much like a piling is), then secured to the docks via wood planks.

A view of the newly installed wave-blockers.

Unlike in a bulkhead configuration, in this design the pieces do not interlink. Instead, they are arrayed in two rows. Water can still pass through, but the rolling wave action is reduced.

This diagram shows the wave attenuator from above

Workers secure a part of the outward facing dock which has had the bulkhead pieces installed. This part of the marina, the dockmaster says, “gets the brunt” of the Neuse.

Because they’ve added that area of resistance, the outer pilings of the dock have been shored up, with buttresses.

Ashely points to buttresses.

Once the work was done, the hog slats, piled up here at left, had to be put back in place.

Guiding the slats back in to place.

Jay Beery of Broad Creek Construction hauls the crane barge, moving it down the dock to continue laying slats. Behind him are Dockmaster Ashley Erwin and Whittaker Pointe Marina owner Henry Frazer (and his dogs Mollie and Quaker).

It’s not the first marina in the area to try to control the Neuse’s chop. Oriental Harbor Marina installed concrete hog slats* vertically across the front of its outer docks. In contrast, Whittaker Pointe Marina’s design using bulkhead material extends all the way to the bottom. (* They are called “hog slats” because they were originally designed for the floors of hog farms. They have become a favored way to build docks by many builders due to their durability. )

Ashley Erwin states “we can already see the difference – wave action inside the marina is much calmer.” There are a small number of slips outside the new attenuator – owner Henry Frazer says they will either be used for transient traffic in favorable weather or perhaps converted to use with electric lifts for power vessels.

The view from above – the blue line shows where the wave attenuator is installed

Posted Friday February 6, 2009 by Melinda Penkava