Ericson 27 Survives Hurricane Matthew in Florida!

Like my stories start out, I went to check on my Sailboat in St. Augustine. I drive around the corner in the road to find my E27 missing. I look a quarter mile downriver and see her stuck in the bank at least 8 ft above High Tide. There's at least 7 other sailboats washed ashore and they're all laying on their sides. As you can see Ericson's don't give up. Gonna try to rescue her in the morning, more pictures to come.

Remember to be careful of the rear section of the keel . . it is hollow and vulnerable . . you never want to back into a rock with it for sure . ..

I can't believe she's sitting upright like that. How will you get her out? Perhaps another huge tide? Helicopter? haha Our boats are very close in age, like sisters. Valhalla is #879.
Best wishes on getting her out unharmed.

I'm going to try to dig the keel free and ease her over on her side and try to slide it down some long boards and plywood. I'll tie her off to my Jeep and then slowly let her roll over. 1976 E27 Hull# 852

Is there now enough water back in that swamp to float the boat?

There's a tiny channel along the bank that should have 6ft of water at high tide. I've already removed everything I could to reduce weight, hoping it'll float a little higher.

No place better to ride out a hurricane than a river with marshy banks. Here's to success with the re-float.

Update 10/10/16

After much thought, I think I'm going to rent a crane and trailer it home. I should've came up with that before I stacked up that pile of roots. I have a feeling I'm going to cause more damage than the Hurricane did. It needs a much needed refit and restoration anyways. Now I have to research old threads to see how to build a trailer for a 27, luckily there seems to be alot of info on that.

My boat used to be with those in the background

Good idea putting the private property signs on her.

I think a crane could also put her back in the water pretty easily.

IN the old days, with a boat blown 300 feet onto mud flats, we laid down two tracks of heavy boards, tipped the boat onto a crude skid, ladeled greasy wet mud onto the boards, and about ten guys pushed and dragged her all that way. I was nine, but I think they also rigged up a block and tackle on an anchor. It was all very festive, even though the banks of the Rahway River (N.J., spur of New York Harbor) were evil-smelling muck.

It seems, looking back, that adults could get a dozen people to help them do anything in those days. Manpower was an easy answer. Maybe there were just more...men?

Then "East Wind", a former oyster dredger, promptly sank.

So my father got another bunch of guys to refloat her with gasoline pumps and 50-gallon drums. It was winter, and they drank scotch out of the bottle, passing it around.

All of it, for me, was way better than going to school.

Perhaps you'll remember this project that way some day.

A real man would lay plywood sheets between the hull and the river, spread 200 pounds of ice cubes on the plywood, run three or four 2x12 timber skids from the keel to the river on top of the ice, tip the boat over onto the skids (this is the hard part I think), and jack the boat into the river, or hump it down with five or six guys.

This is how my brother in law placed several huge granite slabs into position to make a staircase. Wet ice under pressure is amazingly slick.

A smart "real man" has his sailboat loaded onto a trailer and takes it home for repairs, I said it survived a hurricane, but didn't say it was untouched. If I did drop her back into the water there, I'd just be heading to a marina to get it hauled out and towed home anyways. And with the uncertainty of that little creeks actual depth, and deep water at least a mile away, I think I'm doing the right thing. Since I've been married for 19 years, my Wife has successfully dwindled my 10 friends down to 2 so manpower would've been an issue. Only the bottle of scotch makes since to me now

You are, without question, correct. My attempt at tongue-in-cheekiness did not come through very well.

You are one friend ahead and one year of marriage behind me.

I haven't had any luck finding a crane for hire. I'm thinking about renting a Lull type forklift (6k to 7k rated 42ft reach) and doing it myself. Only 420 dollars for an all day rental and the rental yard is only 1.4 miles away from the boat. Tenders, I appreciated your advice, my plan was a mix of yours and Christians. Thank you

make that $480.00 for 3.9 hrs (with delivery)