Helpless Then a Plan

Susan Booras and other boat owners watched the storm-driven waves from the today at high tide when the lines in the harbor started to snap.

"It was so sad," she said. "They went, 'snap, snap, snap.'"

One after another more than a dozen boats broke free from their mooring lines.

The mooring line was tied to a cleat on the deck of the Booras's boat, Moira, a 25-foot sailboat that they have owned for a year.

The cleat was ripped from the deck.

About 10 sailboats ranging from 24-36 feet broke free from their lines. They bobbed and rocked in the rough seas and drifted at an angle toward shore, most landing along .

Bill Sullivan's Irish Eyes landed closest to the beach's sea wall.

As the tide went out, the blue boat and keel sat tilted on the muddy beach as a crowd gathered to look and snap photos.

The beach was crowded with people. Cars were parked along Lynn Shore Drive like it was July Fourth.

Farther down the beach two more sailboats had washed ashore. 

Meanwhile, Sullivan joined a working crew of fellow Swampscott Yacht Club members by the water's edge.

The boat owners had cast away their disbelief after seeing the boats go adrift and put a plan into action.

The plan was to anchor the boats to prevent them from being tossed against the King's Beach sea wall on the next high tide.

They arrived to King's Beach with ropes, chains, shovels and anchors.

They also seemed upbeat in spite of their predicament.

One by one they secured the boats, at least several of them with two anchors.

The work was not without risk.

Some of the younger members waded into stomach-deep, storm-tossed water and tied a line and anchor to another sailboat that had arrived on the scene and was drifting toward shore.

The young men were thrown around in the water and seemed to be in there for a long time before they got the anchors secure.

Several people yelled for them return to shore, worried that they might be swept to see.

"It was rough," said James Keeter, one of the crew that secured the boat. He said they saw the boat drifting toward the Moira and decided to secure it to prevent the vessels from colliding.

Nearby, another sailboat, Kelley and Rob Begin's Swampy Lady, was aground, it came to rest below the Red Rock Bistro.

About 12 people and an SUV freed the Swampy Lady from its landing near the rocks.

It looked like they were engaged in a tug-of-war. At one point, under the tension, the rope reportedly broke, sending the anchor through the air.

They got the Swampy Lady away from the rocks and secured it in a better spot.

All together about 14 boats broke free of their moorings in the storm.

That was about half of the boats that had remained in the harbor.

About 45 other boat owners spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday moving their crafts either out of the water or to safer spots.

On Sunday two powerboats and a sailboat ran ashore at Fisherman's Beach. The sailboat looked like it was close to a total loss.

A few boats also reportedly landed on shore in the area near Cap'n Jack's.

The owners of the boats that broke free hope their anchored crafts hold steady through the next high tide, which arrives about 11 Sunday night.

Then, tomorrow, they plan to bring their boats back to their moorings at Fisherman's Beach and, later, get them out of the water and inspect them for damage.

The Irish Eyes owner, Bill Sullivan, has something else going on Monday.

The first day of school.

He is a 5th grade teacher at a charter school in Marblehead.