Sea Notes: Stories on the Swampscott Waterfront

A Year Ago: Tropical Storm Irene's Visit to Swampscott

The enduring lesson was prepare for the worst.

  Monday at Fisherman's Beach was a tranquil day, a stark contrast to the bustle at the beach's boat ramp exactly one year ago. On Monday, a few gulls cried at the shore. They lifted their beaks and let go rapid high-pitched cries that slowed to silence. One hundred motor boats and sailboats sat almost still at their harbor moorings. Women sat on beach chairs reading and chatting. A young man tossed a triangular boomerang into the onshore breeze. It stretched to the sea like an elastic before dutifully returning. The temperature was perfect. The sky blue. The air smelled faintly of salt, mud, sea shells and seaweed. A year ago, the day before turbulent seas churned by the remants of Hurricane Irene arrived, boat owners lined the Fisherman'…

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5 Things You Need To Know Today: June 11

The two Recreation Department sailboats that were swept from Fisherman's Beach to Nahant in last week's storm survived the ride without damage.

  1) Newsbit of the Day: The two Recreation Department sailboats that were swept from the beach to Nahant in last week's storm survived the ride without damage. Sailing team members were to clean up all the racing boats in the Rec. Dept. fleet and check their lines for fraying over the weekend, the recreation director said.  2) Swampscott Scholars: On Sunday, May 20, Rachel Ann Mosakowski graduated from Clark University in Worcester with a Master of Business Administration. Mosakowski is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. 3) Food For Thought: Chili garlic sauce by Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam is good stuff. Great to add to stir fry or serve with chicken, pasta or fish. It's available in grocery stores and costs about $3 for an 18-oz…

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Photo of the Day

Sailboats at the pier on Wednesday.

Sailboats were docked at the floats at the end of the town pier Wednesday as the tide was going out.

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Sea Notes: Stories on the Swampscott Waterfront

NEW VIDEO: Recovery Day

On Monday boat owners got their sailboats back to their moorings, lashed to the town pier or retrieved from rocks.

The day broke clear and calm and the air smelled clean in Swampscott on Monday. It contrasted with the clammy and stormy weather over the weekend. Boat owners whose vessels tore loose from moorings went to work Monday retrieving their vessels. Here is some footage of the retrieval and recovery work.

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Sea Notes: Stories on the Swampscott Waterfront

NEW VIDEO: Waders Anchor Sailboat in Wild Surf

Three young men and a young woman anchored a wave-tossed sailboat that was drifting toward shore Sunday.

Three young men and a young woman anchored a wave-tossed sailboat that was drifting toward shore Sunday. At the end of the video, two people hold the anchor line to another sailboat that was moved from a spot near the rocks to a better anchor spot. Sailboat owners planned to return to their boats on Monday to move them back to Fisherman's Beach.

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Susan Booras

6:58 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hey, one of those four "boys" was my daughter, Anna Booras!   more ›

Sea Notes: Stories on the Swampscott Waterfront

Helpless Then a Plan

Swampscott boat owners watched as boats snapped free one by one today.

Susan Booras and other boat owners watched the storm-driven waves from the Swampscott Yacht Club 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 King's Beach. Bill Sullivan's Irish Eyes landed closest to the beach's sea wall. As the tide went out, the blue …

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