by: Capt. Jim kalvin
Meant to have this article in on Saturday the 3rd – deadline was Monday the 5th. I was going to surprise staff and get it in two days early. See, they’re so used to me sliding in sideways an hour after the deadline expires that it would have been a nice change for them. But, as Frank Zappa said, “….’life’ is what happens while you’re making other plans!”
The Friday before my intended article submission, we found out that we were in the projected path of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Elsa. Per our insurance requirements, we are to be in full storm prep mode if the tropical system in question is within 3 days of a projected landfall in our region. What does that mean for Kalvin & Calvin Marine Construction? For starters, it means that I wouldn’t get my article in early! From a practical standpoint, it meant that we had to secure all of our jobsites. This means having porta-pottys picked up, removing all debris and construction materials, and making sure that any work in progress was made secure for the storm – even if that means making more work for us later (that we won’t be compensated for). This was done on Friday with all-hands on-deck, three trucks, three trailers, and 15 cubic yards of #57 drain rock.
Next, we had to haul the small barge and the work boats and secure them at the shop. The bigger barge we had to run up a protected waterway and secure her for the blow. All tools and equipment had to come off, and we drove pilings around the vessel to “pen” her in. This would allow her to ride a storm surge up and down without risk of binding a spud in a spudwell if the wind shifts the position of the boat. So that was our Saturday before the 4th of July. In the 98 degree heat, we loaded two pick-up trucks and two trailers level-full of tools, timbers, pumps, generators, compressors, hoses, boatlifts, lines, etc., etc., etc. By the time this article gets to print, we’ll know whether all of that was a futile exercise or not. But the prudent, insurance compliant, and common-sensical thing to do was to be prepared.
The same goes for your private vessels. Lots of folks wait till the last minute to make preparations. If you’re new to the area, trust me when I say that securing a boat in a sideways rain driven by 30 knot winds is something that you will only do once! “Waiting to see if the storm actually comes this way…” is a mistake. The rain comes days ahead of the actual storm. You may get away with it once or twice, but you will be caught in the “soup” at some point if this is your standard operating procedure.
Read your insurance paperwork – it will likely take the guess-work out of it for you. It’s a better than fair chance that you will have the same requirements that our commercial policy does – to be prepared a minimum of 3 days out. Fail to do that, and storm-related losses may not be covered. The insurance companies learned a great deal over the past 20 years!
If you are in a marina or a yacht club, read your dock lease. The same holds true there. You will be required to take precautionary actions, or the facility can take those protective measures for you and send you the bill. This invoice will likely be at minimum of time and a half for over-time, or double-time for “hazardous duty” pay for facility employees or maintenance contractors.
Keep in mind that you’ll be doing the exact thing in reverse after the storm!
So…that’s one of the prices we pay to live in “Paradise”! The good thing is that it only lasts for a few days, you don’t have to shovel it, and it ain’t cold! Learn from each experience and talk to those who have been around for a while. A little advice and precautionary preparation can go a long way in determining how you emerge on the other side of a given storm event.
Captain Jim Kalvin, Florida Native, U.S.C.G. Licensed 100 Ton Master, Marine Contractor
239-280-6054 james.kalvin61@gmail.com kcmcfl.com