I spent a lot of last night and this morning trying to find out what had happened at Morgan Marina, where my boat, Cadence was hauled out and on the hard. Given her location, I assumed she would be safe.
Morgan is up Cheesequake Creek, a small river off the Southwest of Raritan Bay. The marina is about half a mile from the Bay past two bridges: One, the Rte 35 road bridge where Rte 35 acts as a seawall except under the bridge. The other is a low rail road bridge. To the East is a very large wetland, presumably plenty of place for the water to go. The South is Garden State Parkway. To the immediate North are Brown’s and Lockwoods’ marinas and yards.
There is a dock holding 50-80 boats and a large yard about 4 feet about the water level with 100 or so boats on jackstands. I have kept my boat here for several years and know the folks who work there well. Nice bunch of hard-working people.
All morning I heard mixed information: The dock had washed away but boats on stands were OK, my boat was in “decent shape” (a statement that is relative), but nothing specific. None of this prepared me for what I saw.
As I drove up, on the left hand side of the road were several boats and this iron dock, several hundred yards across wetland beyond Lockwoods Boatworks.
The entrance to the yard was blocked by half a dozen yachts. To the left and right as far as I could see where yachts off their stands, tangled up like this.
Once you entered the yard, boat were everywhere, rolled, smashed up, tied up in each other’s rigging. Boats had washed down from the other yards or washed up from the destroed dock. It was chaos.
That’s a jarring sight to see. What condition is your boat in?