Heavy winds beach boats, damage boathouse

POULSBO – Two boats were beached and a boathouse was damaged during high winds Nov. 13.

A powerboat and a sailboat were blown free from their anchorage on Liberty Bay and drifted down to the northwestern end of the bay, where both craft ran aground.

Early Nov. 14, both boats could still be seen, beached on the northwestern shore. The previous day, one witness at the Port of Poulsbo Marina said he had noticed one of the boats drifting toward the estuary to the north but the vessel’s anchor had appeared to reset itself before running aground.

According to Port Manager Brad Miller, a boathouse moored at the dock sustained damage from the winds as well: a roofing panel blew free and a mooring fitting came loose during the storm. The port does not assume any responsibility for replacing damaged boathouses at the marina, he said.

A high wind warning remained in effect until 9 p.m. Nov. 13, with gusts clocking in over 50 mph. According to Kitsap County Public Works, fallen trees or branches knocked down power lines and forced the closure of three roads in South Kitsap, two roads in Central Kitsap, and five roads in North Kitsap.

Puget Sound Energy reported that winds had knocked out power to some 1,978 customers on Bainbridge Island, 3,420 in North Kitsap, 36 in Silverdale, and 398 in Bremerton and Port Orchard.

– Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.

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