California Marina Fire

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That's terrible! what a shame.

I hope they can confirm that all the boats were empty.
 
Our own SCARY lives aboard his Hatteras in Walnut Grove I believe.
 
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Sure hope someone can confirm it was an accident.
Hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but rather fits in with the contrived Hyacinth Crisis we are having to deal with....
 
Steve (Scary) docks his boat at a different marina.
 
Our harbor had a boathouse containing twelve boats burn completely a couple of years ago. A liveaboard couple became trapped on their boat and burned to death as they were pleading for help on a cell phone.

It's amazing how fast fires like this accelerate and spread when the heat and flames are contained in a boathouse or covered moorage. Good to hear there were apparently no injuries or fatalities in the Walnut Grove fire.
 
Hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but rather fits in with the contrived Hyacinth Crisis we are having to deal with....

Can you (or anybody) please elaborate on this contrived Hyacinth Crisis?
 
Agreed.

How about that Hyacinth in the Delta?
When was the last time anyone heard of the DBW regarding the weed?

(maybe "contrived" is not the best word. It is Real for sure, and what has the State done to help us?)
 
In Washington state, covered marinas have to have aluminum roofing, which will melt and vent the fire. They also have to have a vent at the peak of the roof. My marina (La Conner) has an open peak made by raising one side of the roof above the other creating a long slot.

Everett Marina had a boat fire in 06-07, which melted the roof over 4 slips, and contained the fire to 4 to 6 boats. The live-aboards were told by the marina, that in case of fire, to untie any NOT burning boats in way of the fire. Then push the not burning boats out of the slips, creating a fire break. And they were told to NOT untie any burning boat, as the fire fighters cannot reach a floating, burning boat, and it could drift into other boats and spread the fire. The Everett Marina is in a closed basin, with only one entrance. Any drifting boats could be rounded up later.
 
Art docks The Office at another marina many miles away from Walnut Grove.

Thanks, Craig - Correct. Busy today. Plan to read up on this soon. Tragedy for sure!
 
The RCOB (Recreational Boaters of California) is takin' the water hyacinth seriously. Here in San Diego they put on a video showin' the scope of the problem.
 
This reminds me of the fires in Kentucky and northern Tennessee on the big houseboating lakes. Now you've combined covered and unvented docks with houseboats and it's a bad combination. Those marinas have now taken steps to reduce the risks. As mentioned above, covered slips are built to new standards. In many of the marinas, houseboats are not allowed in covered slips, but are on open docks only. Also, the storage of propane tanks is controlled tightly and in some marinas not allowed at all. Also, many of those marinas now have fire boats.

The nature of houseboats tends to lead to acceleration of the fire rapidly and toss in some propane tanks and it's out of control quickly.

I hate that there was such a tragic accident, although thankful it wasn't as tragic as it could have been with loss of lives. I do hope, however, that it serves as a warning to take steps for safety from fire.
 
Agreed.

How about that Hyacinth in the Delta?
When was the last time anyone heard of the DBW regarding the weed?

(maybe "contrived" is not the best word. It is Real for sure, and what has the State done to help us?)

According to assistant manager at our marina the state gave up spraying as the Hyacinth was winning hands down. State ran low for capital on this too. All n' all the poisons they were spraying must be real bad for sea life and water quality in general. There is a definite problem underway. :nonono:

If solution is not found boating in SF Delta may become impacted. :mad:

The warming trend does not allow ample freezing nights to kill the Hyacinth off. Temperature imbalances are developing. Hyacinth loves warm air and water... it flourishes. :eek:
 
If solution is not found boating in SF Delta may become impacted. :mad:


"MAY become impacted"?

How about "has been impacted".

I was ready to move to Village West Marina in November but the only way a boat was getting in or out of there was with a helicopter.
 
"MAY become impacted"?

How about "has been impacted".

I was ready to move to Village West Marina in November but the only way a boat was getting in or out of there was with a helicopter.

Craig

Is it still so. Family health problems have recently kept us away from boat. Was there some time in early December and although quite a bit of growth still... much better that a month before that. Has it worsened again?

Picts are November. As you mentioned... helicopter needed!
 

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Have they tried poisonng it? That seems to be the common treatment used in the lakes around here to clear invasive weed.
 
Craig

Is it still so. Family health problems have recently kept us away from boat. Was there some time in early December and although quite a bit of growth still... much better that a month before that. Has it worsened again?

Picts are November. As you mentioned... helicopter needed!


What a mess, I've ran into backwater areas on the upper mis especially around Wisconsin and Minnesota that had vegetation but nothing anywhere close to this amount.
 
Craig

Is it still so. Family health problems have recently kept us away from boat. Was there some time in early December and although quite a bit of growth still... much better that a month before that. Has it worsened again?

Picts are November. As you mentioned... helicopter needed!

It's situational Art, no rhyme or reason but the Stockton area is generally speaking the worst off.

Have they tried poisonng it? That seems to be the common treatment used in the lakes around here to clear invasive weed.

In a word, yes. Unfortunately the alphabet soup that is California water politics will not allow effective control.

To give a full and complete answer, or attempt to do so, would require a multi page thread of its own inside OTDE to begin unpacking the issue. In a nutshell you can't swing a dead cat by the tail anywhere in this state without hitting somebody representing a special interest group with litigation pending regarding California Delta water rights. In all fairness every one of them feel their pet cause trumps everybody else's pet cause. Lacking a benevolent dictator stepping in and making them all go away the Delta will continue its 50 year old death spiral. My father was a vast wealth of first hand eyewitness knowledge to all things Delta related and I've shared many of his reflections in the SF Bay&Delta small group at this site.
 
Harvest it and make ethanol --- however, easier said than done!
 
In all fairness every one of them feel their pet cause trumps everybody else's pet cause.

And probably the vast majority have a valid point or two. It's just that you can't have it all. At some point there has to be compromise to deal with the issues, but they're highly charged issues on which people find compromise extremely difficult and elusive. It's like mom, baseball, and apple pie. Ask someone if they're in favor of clean air and water. Of course, they are. But then how clean and at what cost. If they were simple, black and white issues, then they'd have been long ago resolved.
 
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