Oct. 17, 2008 — As the U.S. Coast Guard worked alongside the V.I. Port Authority to reopen the navigational channels leading into Christiansted Harbor on Friday, boat owners were taking stock of what remained following Hurricane Omar.
The go-ahead was given by mid-afternoon to reopen the channel after an inspection to determine whether any of an estimated 30 sunken vessels in Christiansted Harbor were in the channel waters.
Also, navigational markers which line the boundaries of the channel were repositioned to their proper locations, according to a Government House statement issued Friday.
Back on shore, while some residents were in a festive mood, sipping on their beverage of choice along the Christiansted boardwalk, others gathered around Silver Dock, off the boardwalk, feeling anything but merry.
"It sucks," was the only comment from one lady, who declined to identify herself.
Of the four boats that had been tied to the dock when Omar hit, three were submerged, and the fourth had taken a beating and was rammed up against the boardwalk.
Boat owner Tim Malik had snorkeled over the area in the morning and had cuts on his hands and arms from trying to salvage some of his boat parts.
"My boat is in bits and pieces,” he said. Malik added that neither he nor his fellow owners whose boats were tied to the dock had insurance, giving special meaning to the name of his own craft, "Daddy Owe.”
Besides the boat damage, the dock was also sheared through the middle.
The boat owners on Silver Dock were not the only owners suffering. Nearby on the boardwalk, one could count at least a half dozen other boats badly battered and partially submerged.
The boardwalk itself had taken a beating and was not passable in some places. Officers arrived on the scene, stretched out yellow tape, and began shooing away onlookers who came to look at the boats.
Rick Flanigan was a thankful boat owner. His boat stayed where it was anchored and appeared to have suffered no damage. He said he spent time Tuesday and Wednesday checking the boat's mooring and dropping extra anchors.
Ed Buckly, owner of St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures, was also on the harbor front surveying the damage. He said his boats weathered the storm, but it would be a couple of days before his business would get back to normal.
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