July 10, 2024 FLOOD!!!

 July 10-11, 2024  Vergennes Town Dock

Remnants of Hurricane Beryl came through with a vengeance starting Wednesday afternoon.  We had explored the town earlier in the day and got back to the boat just as the first of the afternoon bands of rain arrived.   We were expecting a few bands of rain as most of the radar forecasts looked like we would receive a mere glancing blow.  Not so.   We soon started getting constant weather alerts on the phone.   Severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings, flood warnings, flood watches, extended hours to the above.  Thankfully the winds stayed away but the rains they surely fell.  We watched in awe as the easy flowing Otter Creek began to turn violent, widening its breadth and turning into a raging river. The picturesque dam in front of us began to roar as additional cubic tons of water began to cascade over the edge.   Initially feeling secure tied to the floating dock we soon realized there was only a few feet of available rise before the connections to the bulkhead would max out. As darkness arrived the water was already rising, the rain was continuing to beat down on the boat and radar wasn't showing it letting up for hours.  With nowhere to go all we could do was add a few more fenders and double check all the lines were secure. Then wait and watch. Not much sleep as we settled into doing 2-hour visual checks at 10, 12, 2, 4 and sunrise. Spotlight shining through the rain at each check showed water rising.  The floating docks reached their peak and started to tilt but held fast as did our lines. 

2AM check. Water still rising, docks beginning to buckle, power cord still safe.

Bulkhead across the creek went underwater at our 4AM check. Water up at least 4 feet as it just can't flush out to Lake Champlain fast enough.  Each glancing blow by some passing flotsam startles us out of any possible sleep - and there is plenty of debris flowing by now.  By sunrise the rain has about stopped but the water is still draining from upriver and continues to rise. 

Scenic tranquil waterfalls at Vergennes upon arrival

Turned into a raging river by the morning

We are nervous about our power cord.  The power pedestal is across a driveway requiring us to use our extension cord.  I had smartly made the connection to our primary cord atop the bulkhead.  Now I was watching water getting within inches of that top. By 11AM on Thursday the water finally stops its rise.  Still flowing strong but at least not rising.   The falls are generating icebergs of foam which continue to build up alongside our hull and the dock leaving a far uglier mess than the tannin mustache you get on an ICW trip. 

Dirty dam foam built up to cover half the dock at one point.
Water starting to finally recede.
We had to climb up onto the bulkhead when we arrived.
 Power cord connection within inches of going underwater. 

By 2PM the first signs of receding water become evident as the high-water mark on the driveway begins to show. We're able to breathe a sigh of relief for now.  But more questions arise.  We've got reservations at a marina in Burlington starting tomorrow.  Will we be able to get out of here tomorrow?  How much debris is in the creek and on the lake?  Have any trees fallen across the creek making it impassible? 

We'll need double lookouts when heading out. 
This type debris will wreak havoc if snagged on our running gear.  

Guess we'll need to wait for tomorrow morning for answers to some of those questions.  For now, we still have power, A/C and enough provisions for a few more days. Who knows, if the water drops a little bit more I may even be able to jump to shore and head into town for some more of that yummy LU-LU's ice cream.