Texas Pearl Haul Out

On August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey sat over Rockport, Texas for fourteen hours. Not only did it bring extremely high winds and A LOT of rain, it also produced over 60 tornadoes in the area that night. The damage to Rockport and Aransas County was catastrophic. In one night the beautiful little coastal town was turned into a war zone. We were truly lucky to find our boat still in her slip, with no major damage...but she didn't come through the storm untouched. It's been seven months since the storm roared ashore in south Texas and Texas Pearl is almost back to her beautiful self.

Here's the list of damages to Texas Pearl from Hurricane Harvey

• Depth finder and sensor
• Radio
• 2 speakers on flybridge blown out
• Base speaker on flybridge blown out
• 2 VFH antennas destroyed
• TV antenna destroyed
• Anchor light broken
• Outside loud speaker on flybridge gone
• Inside carpet was wet
• Draperies in salon stained by water
• Back deck carpet destroyed
• Icinglass strips missing
• Deck panel on starboard side damaged
• Deck panel on stern missing
• Wood trim on back deck damaged
• Starboard and port instrument cabinets damaged
• Flybridge hatch blown off and damaged
• Fiberglass on flybridge damage from hatch
• Windshield broken on port side
• Lower rub rail on port side damaged
• Upper rub rails on both sides damaged
• Fiberglass broken near port side rub rail
• Fiberglass under starboard rub rail damaged
• Gel coat rubbed off on flybridge from broken antenna
• 4 - ¾” dock lines broke (we had 14)
• Grommets pulled out of front window cover
• Broken vent cover on port side
• Hundreds of dings on hull (down to fiberglass) from trash in water

Here are a few pictures of what damaged the hull. Some boards in the water were 6"x12" beams that were 5'-6' long

Damage to the bottom of the boat from the trash in the water

This is the way the dock on our port side looked when we returned after the hurricane...we figured the boat hit it during the storm, but couldn't see any damage...

Once we were hauled out we could see where the dock and the boat met. From the look of the dock and the damage on the boat...I'd say the boat won...she's a battleship.

More damage from debris in the water

Even the stabilizer fins took a few nicks from the trash in the water.

Thanks to our Progressive Insurance Texas Pearl got a whole new bottom. This man is sodablasting the bottom of the boat. It's a very mild form of abrasive blasting, which uses sodium bicarbonate to remove the old layers of paint.

The running gear...all clean and ready for paint

Wrapped and ready for paint

First layer of primer on and looking good

Being out of the water makes it easier to polish the hull and repair the rub rails...it's also the only way to service the stabilizers and replace the depth sensor of the depth finder. 

Stan used the buffer to apply Finesse-It ll and then I put on the protective polymer sealer. 

What a shine...our hard work makes this old girl look almost new. 

What an ordeal this haul out has been...many jobs had to be done twice, thanks to the people we hired not doing a good job and creating more of a mess. It reinforced what we already knew...if you want something done right...DO IT YOURSELF. 

For those who don't know what it looks like when a boat is hauled out...here's a little video

Life Post Harvey

"If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life." ―Author Unknown

It's been a long, stressful three weeks. We are back in Ithaca, NY for a short time as we get The Pearl ready for winter storage. I thought I would share a few pictures from the past few weeks...some were posted on our Facebook page earlier and some are new. Just a little insight to our life after Hurricane Harvey.

Our first look at Texas Pearl after the storm on Sunday August 27. Look at all that stuff in the water.

Our home is in the country...we live with a septic tank and well, that means when we have no electricity we have no bathroom. This was our post Harvey bathroom. We stayed four nights without power and then moved to Rockport and stayed on the boat. The boat has a 250 gallon water tank, working toilets and a generator. Meaning we could have AC when the temperatures began to warm up...life was a little more normal there.

After two mornings without coffee we figured out a way to get our morning caffeine.

Double filtering made it a pretty good cup of coffee

Getting down to Rockport on Sunday August 27 wasn't easy, but we were determined to see the boat and check on our son's home. Lots of debris, down power lines and water on the roads.

and of course in South Texas we have a lot of cows...so we saw a lot of dead cows along the road too.

The first hot meal we had in over a week was this amazing burger at a small place in Ganado, Texas called KW's Dairy Mart....it was amazing!

Hundreds of power trucks were in town getting things back to normal...Rockport's complete power grid up and running on Friday September 8.

On our second trip down to Rockport on Tuesday night (August 29) we were greeted with this sight. That rainbow is pointing down to Texas Pearl. A true sign that things are improving. 

Some boaters have no idea how to prepare for a storm. This man thought this board would keep his boat from hitting the concert bulkhead during the storm. Hum...I wonder if he thinks that worked for him!

So many wonderful organizations brought in food for all of us without electricity. This group had wonderful meals.  

The amazing thing for me to see were all the individual people who came to Rockport Labor Day weekend just to BBQ for the town. Every corner and parking lot was full of people ready to provide anything people needed...food, hot meals, water, ice, clothes, diapers, formula, pet food, bug spray...and lots of hugs and support. Strangers poured into town to help people clear the debris from their yards and clean up their houses. What an unbelievable show of humanity.

The water lines to the marina were damaged and I'm sure it isn't a priority at the moment to fix them (county marina). It may be months before we have water and power at our marina. So what do you do with all the cases of water people were giving away...put them in the water tank, of course. I put in over 20 gallons...one 16.9 oz bottle at a time. The storm blew away the panel that goes in the opening in this picture. So....

The captain made a temporary panel for our back deck until we can have a new one ordered. 

The Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Rockport Harbor

"Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." —Charles R. Swindoll

It's been a long week and our family was lucky, truly blessed that we all survived and so did our homes and boat, but the devastation that has taken place in our special little town of Rockport and to the rest of Texas is heart wrenching. The total loss of so many homes and businesses is unbelievable and almost unimaginable. One day everything is just as it's always has been...and the next day the world as you knew it has been turned upside down. Our mind knows how all these places should look, but your eyes are now seeing something totally different. We are Rockport strong...Texas strong and these places will come back.

In September 2015 I did a blog post called Going for a Walk: Rockport Harbor. It showed our wonderful little neighborhood around the marina...here's a look at it today after Hurricane Harvey. I have included before and after pictures.

Aquarium at Rockport Harbor

Marley was moved to the Texas State Aquarium on Thursday before the storm. I hope he's doing well in his new home.

This giant hermit crab was always my favorite...he survived and was released a few days after the storm.

Rockport Art Center

The building was heavily damaged but the sculptures in the Sculpture Garden looked wonderful.

This sculpture is named "Into the Wind". She faces the bay...she faced the eye of the storm and remained strong. 

This crab stood at the entrance to Rockport Beach...hopefully it can be replaced one day.

The Bay Education Center looks like it survived the storm...not sure of any damage inside.

The Texas Maritime Museum also looks like it fared well...just a little roof damage.

One of the things we really enjoy about keeping our boat in Rockport Harbor is being able to walk over to one of the bait shops for fresh shrimp...I know they'll rebuild but we'll miss them until they do. This is Flemings...our favorite place to get fresh shrimp. 

Texas Pearl Survived

Rockport Harbor

"I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul." —Paulo Coelho

Just a quick update until I have more time to do a complete post...we survived Hurricane Harvey with only minor damage. 

Waiting for Hurricane Harvey

Rockport Harbor

We drove back to Texas Wednesday night and Thursday so we could check on our house and the Texas Pearl, and be close for any clean up we might need to do. Our son prepared our properties better than we could have ourselves and we're blessed he was here to help. We drove straight to our boat in Rockport to do a few last minute things and take a few personal treasures off the boat, then an hour back to our home...43 hours without sleep. I think running a marathon might have been easier. 

These pictures were taken on Tuesday as Eric was putting on more lines. What a beautiful evening and boat...our neighborhood will not be the same soon.

Our last look at Texas Pearl

We've been tracking the storm for days...the hurricane watch is now in the waiting mode. Everything is ready and there's nothing more we can do except wait and see...and hope and pray for the best. We'll let you know. 

The projected paths have changed some but our boat has been in the center the whole time...not looking good

More tracking maps from early this morning...should come ashore early tonight.

Satellite photo from about 11:30 this morning