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HURRICANE SEASON 2008of a new marina built towithstand up to a Category3 storm. He debatedwhether to go with fixeddocks or floating and chosefloating because of the damagethat was done by thestorm surge that partlydestroyed the marina whenHurricane Ivan hit it in2004. Although his waterdepth is only around sixfeet, he had to go 44 feet intothe bottom with new pilingsto find solid ground. Hewanted to have the pilings stick out of the water 18 feet—anticipating a surge of almost that level—so all of his pilingsare 70 feet long! He is confident his rebuilt marina will withstandthe storms it was designed for with ease. The story ofhis new marina, construction and costs was printed inMarina Dock Age magazine, April 2006.On Wednesday morning, the first speaker was meteorologistSteve Letro, who presented a great talk on hurricanesand their prediction and limitations of predictions.His most memorable points for this writer were his commentsthat each storm is an individual, but more important;that each season is an individual, something I did not hearemphasized in last year’s talk. This brought home the factA couple of the many exhibitors at the symposium.that it is very difficult, if notimpossible, to predict whateach season will be like.One of last year’s bestspeakers was RockySimone, who last yearspoke of the hurricane planhe established at thePensacola Marine Complex.It was filled with goodpractical knowledge. Rockyis no longer manager of thatmarina but is now a consultantto other marinas. Hespoke about the contractbetween the marina and the boat owner and how the 2006Florida law allowed marinas to protect themselves, theboats and the marina from damage by insuring that the boatwill be prepared for a storm whether the owner does so ornot—and the marina can legally charge the boat owner forits services.A little later on day two, maritime attorney RichardMcAlpin spoke more about the marina/boat owner contractplus discussed a very important landmark case of a boaterwho lived out of state and had a licensed captain prepare hisboat when a storm was approaching. The boat was anchoredout in West Palm Beach and broke away, causing extensivedamage to other private property. The boat owner was foundto not be liable because “due diligence” was taken to securethe boat. The implications of this ruling are quite far-reachingand of supreme importance to boat owners.Other speakers included lobbyists for state and federalissues, urging boaters that they must work together towardgetting legislation passed to protect the interests of marinas.One speaker suggested that boat owners and those in theboating business go to www.boatblue.org if they are interestedin promoting boating interests.The most emotional presentation—and perhaps themost memorable—was by Dan Rutherford, a member of theBoatU.S. CAT (catastrophe) team. Rutherford began by sittingdown while a slide show was shown of the effects ofHurricane Katrina on the lives of those who suffered mostin New Orleans. The audience was silent as we were allreminded of the total devastation in that city, images ofwhich we had probably not seen in over two years.Rutherford then got up and stated that Katrina changed hislife—as he spoke emotionally with a cracked voice. Theslide show brought back to all of us how many people reallysuffered two years ago in New Orleans. It brought intoperspective how many people’s lives were not just disruptedby loss of a boat or a marina, but by loss of life and home.There were several other excellent speakers, but there isnot room here to cover them all. The symposium was wellworth the time I spent there. Sponsors served great food,too. Many thanks to them all.There will not be another symposium next year, as Boat U.S. hasother plans (see sidebar). For more information on the ideas andplans discussed at the symposium and other hurricane preparationinformation, go to www.boatus.com/hurricanes orwww.southwindsmagazine.com/hurricane.36 June 2008 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com