Are Boat Owners in Denial About Irene?

Brewer Cove Haven Marina on Bullock’s Cove is expected to be half full of boats when Hurricane Irene arrives on Sunday, Aug. 28.

“There is a general denial of anything happening,” said J. Michael Keyworth, general manager of the marina that sits on the line between Barrington and Riverside.

Keyworth said owners have been asking him what he would do with a boat in the water.

“What to do?” he said. “I tell them: Where’s my boat?”

Keyworth said he removed the masts on his sailboat and hauled it to higher ground. He’s not taking any chances.

With so many boats left in the marina, there is a much better chance of damage, he said. That’s not to say the marina is not hauling boats out of the cove.

All three of Cove Haven’s lifts have been in operation: the 140-ton lift for large boats; the 50-ton lift for intermediate boats, and the lift truck for the smaller boats.

“We’ve been using that one the most,” Keyworth said.

Many boat owners were removing gear and supplies from their vessels Friday afternoon. Their trucks and SUVs were parked in the lot at Haines Memorial State Park because the marina closed the front gate to prevent vehicles from jamming up the facility. A small entrance in the chain link fence around the marina let them enter and leave the facility.

Cove Haven uses a hurricane plan drawn up many months ago. It identifies the responsibilities of each employee when severe weather happens.

Keyworth said he has been staying on top of the news about Hurricane Irene with the help of a private weather company, Commander Weather. It has been providing hour-to-hour forecasts for all of the marina’s owned by Brewer.

As of mid-day Friday, the private weather company was forecasting landfall of Hurricane Irene sometime Sunday morning with winds from 50-70 mph and gusts up to 80 mph.

Storm surge is estimated at 10-12 feet, he said, which should not inundate the marina – partly because it’s the highest marina above sea level in Rhode Island.

His biggest concern is storm surge that lifts the docks off the piles.

“They get all tangled up at the top of the cove,” he said. "It's a mess."