Too much water. High hurricane probabilities. Can we add any more hassles to our boating businesses?
It seems no matter where we look these days, there’s a lot of negative, and that doesn’t help our slower-than-normal boat sales. How about too much water? It’s actually happening in Wisconsin, a state known for great boating and fishing on myriad waterways. But there’s too much water. At least that’s true on the Mississippi River, according to reporting by WXOW News19 in La Crosse.
Typically, the river level is high in the spring due to snow melt. But experiencing a whopping 15-foot river stage in the middle of summer is clearly not the norm for this popular boating area.
“It hurts right now because people can’t launch and go,” says Steve Tucker, owner of Powerhouse Marine (Bennington, Lowe, Smoker Craft). “People want to boat, but the river needs to be safe. They are anxious to use their boats, so it’s hurting our overall business because they don’t need anything if they can’t get out there.”
The high-water levels have also reportedly affected the broader aquatic recreation industry, including fishing and related sales, paddleboarding, canoe and kayak rentals, fuel and accessory sales.
“We buy product months in advance, including our kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, bait and tackle,” says Scott Gartner, the owner of Island Outdoors (retail, rental, services, wholesale), which is also along the Mississippi River. “When no one can use it or no one is on the river, we’re stuck to come up with whatever we can to try and pay it off.”
Ditto in the Show Me State earlier this week. There, the Coast Guard closed most of the Missouri River to all boaters due to high water, current and debris.
Meanwhile in Texas, high water is sending a dramatically different message. In the Houston area, Hurricane Beryl’s impact last weekend is a clear warning to dealers and marinas in coastal areas from Texas to Maine to undertake advance storm planning. For so many areas, it’s not whether a hurricane will hit, but when.
Last Sunday, Beryl became the first Category 4 hurricane to ever form in the Atlantic in the month of June. By July 2, Beryl had rapidly intensified to Category 5, with winds reaching 165. It set the record for the earliest Atlantic storm to reach this strength.
In addition, research shows that Atlantic hurricanes are more quickly strengthening into supercharged cyclones. While forecasters can chart when and where a hurricane might hit, such rapid intensification is very difficult to predict. So in many ways, we will be navigating uncharted waters this year.
The Marine Trade Association of New Jersey is a great example of raising the red flag for its members early so they can plan ahead and be prepared. Hurricane Ida slammed the Garden State big-time in September 2021 with up to 10 inches of rain and storm surge that triggered record-breaking floods and at least 31 deaths.
Moreover, a new study found that New Jersey is the fastest-warming state in the Northeast, with annual temperatures up by about 3.5 degrees F since 1970. Warming ocean temperatures, The New York Times reports, has earned New Jersey a climate-related superlative: the fastest rate of sea level rise on the East Coast.
MTA/NJ executive director Melissa Danko is urging all members to be prepared and review storm-preparedness plans now.
“Though any storm’s path is often unclear, it doesn’t take a direct hit to damage or sink recreational boats or cause havoc at boat storage facilities and dealerships,” Danko says. “Please take some time now to review your hurricane and emergency preparedness plans, and continue to keep a close eye on forecasts as the hurricane season continues.”
Danko’s team has provided members with a list of more than 15 storm-preparedness resources that are available with the click of a mouse.
To learn more about what the association sent to its members, contact the office at (732) 292-1051.
And this just in …
Yesterday, forecasters upped their predictions to 25 named storms, two more than the previous forecast. No time like the present to prepare.
