JULY 2018 BEACON

Do you remember when the tires were the only wave suppression in the East Harbor? There was a time when the waves often made it past our first seawall, parts of which can still be seen under the A-Dock and a few other places around the island. The Tire Seawall was begun in 1975 and was completed in 1979. P/C Carl Kohler researched marinas that were being built on the East Coast because the DNR wouldn’t allow the Club to install a solid sea wall at the time, citing various environmental concerns. Local tire stores would drop the old tires in the parking lot for free so they could get rid of them without paying to shred them. The tires were all transported to the island, filled with foam and chained together by member’s hands. What a Job!! Later the fence cages were installed and filled with the broken concrete you see under the D-Dock. While the tire barrier was better than nothing, boats would bang around too much for a proper Yacht Club. The decision was made to install a real steel seawall, the DNR changed it’s stance, and today’s steel seawall was completed in the years 2010 and 2011, 2012. Now we’re beginning to replace the sea wall along the Robison because it’s failing at more than 50 years old. It was installed by Ernie Tyvaert around 1968. Our new seawall will go twice as far into the ground and it’s also going to be Galvanized Steel so we’ll get substantially more life from this one. We’re expecting this new seawall to live well past 2070!! Let that one Sink In, pardon the pun. Editors Note: Each time the Bearhooks is tied up on the East Harbor wall and the Lovely & Gracious JeriLynn and I are curled up in the V-Birth and a wave goes by and our boat lurches around a little we’re both so grateful for the seawall because without it our boat would lurch around a LOT and that wouldn’t work for us. Thank you to All the Flag, BOD and Members of 2010, 2011, and 2012 who made the East Harbor a real Harbor. Ron Draper, Editor