In a message dated 9/5/2004 4:21:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
62bt7@prodigy.net writes:
Anyone know about our Florida Healey Friends.
I hope and pray they weather the storm without incident.
--------------------
Kirk and all--
I flew to Miami last Saturday in order to do some work on my boat which I
left down here for the summer but with the forecast of Frances' arrival I could
not begin the project. Late Wednesday night I took the boat up the Miami
River to find a safe berth and wound up tying up to an abandoned but useable
county-owned dock.
Friday afternoon the dock caught on fire, apparently from an old electrical
wire that just took that opportunity to short out. I extinguished the fire,
called 911 and the fire department came and doused it further. Shortly
thereafter the Miami Police Department arrived in force and implied that I set
the
fire, perhaps by barbequing on the dock, this despite the fact that my grille
is
permanently installed on board. They told me that I had to get off the
dock--I told them that I had no other place to go as the bridges on the river
were
all locked down and there was no other open dock space and that I as the
Captain of a Documented Vessel was declaring a Marine Emergency (I read
somewhere
that you can do that!). They nevertheless threatened to arrest me for trespass
and to call the Coast Guard and/or Florida Marine Patrol to tow my boat away.
I told them that since the vertical clearance under the bridge downriver of
me was 4' I doubted that anyone was going to be towing me anywhere. They
reiterated their right to arrest me with which I did not argue, warned me
sternly
that if anything were to happen to me (The head cop mentioned "paralysis or
spinal cord injury") that I could not sue anyone. I told him that I was hereby
waiving my rights to sue anyone. They left. I stayed at the dock and winds
never came over 40 or so.
This morning the bridges were allowed to reopen, I proceeded out the river
and am back in my normal berth. All is well, though attention is now focusing
on the approach of Ivan. Tomorrow I am going out to buy more heavy line and
will secure the boat where it normally lives for better or worse.
Boating sure is fun--Michael Oritt, 100 Le Mans
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