Glendowie Boating Club ramp destroyed by storm
by East and Bays Courier on 26 Jan 2011
The pounding of the waves coupled by a King tide created havoc on the Glendowie BC ramp - Image by Peter Todd SW
Last weekend Auckland was subjected to some severe flooding and storm damage . Here is a report from the http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier!East_and_Bays_Courier of the damage to the Glendowie Boating Club ramp.
A combination of strong NE winds, a King tide and torrential rainfall over a wide area of Auckland and Northland caused sea levels to rise dramatically - estimated to be at least half a metre over normal levels. The East and Bays Courier reports:
The weekend's wild weather tore apart a yacht club's ramp but a solid community effort prevented further damage.
Glendowie Boating Club committee member Peter Todd was walking his dog on Sunday when he found the ramp being destroyed by pounding waves. Club commodore Angus Haslett says: 'There was nothing we could do to rescue it because it was just too risky.'
He has never seen conditions that bad at the club. 'There were two-metre waves slamming into the clubhouse. It was pretty scary. We were wondering at one stage if it would even survive,' he says.
The force of the storm compounded with king tides to create the chaos. Mr Haslett says the waves lifted the ramp's decking and loosened the bolts. The timber ramp was a write-off but a group of about 25 volunteers gave up their afternoon to prevent further damage. They removed debris and pulled up the rest of the ramp so the loose timber could not further damage the facilities when the tide came in again.
A jogger passing by saw the problem and decided to help run the wheelbarrow up and down the hill.
Mr Haslett says the clubhouse could have been in much worse shape if the high tide had occurred overnight and gone unnoticed until the morning. The building, deck and the boats are unscathed and Mr Haslett says the loss will not put a damper on summer sailing. Learn to sail courses scheduled to start on Monday went ahead as planned. But it will be a big undertaking to get the ramp replaced.
The club is planning fundraisers to get the rebuilding project under way.
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