Assessing the damage

The next morning we drove out to the marina to assess the damage. The Sea Tow Captains had stayed on the boat all night monitoring the water level. We had friends drive up from Central Florida to help us unload the boat. I got a U-Haul trailer and we started the process of emptying the boat.

We won’t be able to see the hole until the boat gets hauled out of the water for repair.  The bilges were still full of water.

The side of the boat that had rubbed against the bulkhead during towing was damaged. The stanchion was ripped off, the grill bent and a gouge along the length of the boat. We were planning on buffing and waxing the hull…guess that will wait now.

Stanchion support ripped off

Gouges through gel coat into fiberglass run the entire length of starboard hull

On the inside of the boat we were able to see how high the water got. Look at the shelves in my closet.

Closet shelves

Close up. See battery box full of water?

We loaded things into big black trash bags and filled our van and the U-Haul trailer

Items to go through in staging area in carport

Yes these bags are all full of LAUNDRY! Thank you Autumn, Maddy and Aislin for spending several hours at the laundromat to get all bedding, towels, and clothing that was on the boat clean and dry!

So now we are going through things, setting out pieces of paper to dry, documenting things that have been damaged, spraying down salt water logged items with a hose.

The boat will be towed to Jacksonville tomorrow and hauled out so the insurance representative can evaluate the damage.