Lindenhurst Boaters Get Ready for Irene

Summer in Lindenhurst down near the water usually means a leisurely trip on one's boat. Things have picked up down at the docks at the Lindenhurst Marina in the last few days, but leisure is the farthest thing on boaters' minds.

The clock is ticking, and is on the way, expected to touch down late Saturday with the first bands of rain. Residents are glued to their TVs, waiting to hear information about the now mandatory evacuations in low-lying areas.

That could mean folks near the water on the southern end of Lindy. But first things first - get those boats out of the water.

"With the storm surge, if you leave [boats] in the water, then the tide will come up and the boat could break loose or the cleats could break off, depends how secure the boat is," said Bob from Dix Hills. "At least if it's on ground, it's higher up out of the water, don't have to worry about the surge."

Bob docks his boat at in Lindenhurst where crews have been busy getting boats onto land in advance of Irene. Crew member Nick Behan said it's the wise choice.

It's also something the Village has advised. In fact, as of Thursday, the village began calling residents with boats docked in Lindenhurst Marina and south of Shore Road to tell them to remove their boats from the water.

And, as of Saturday at 4 p.m. the Village will be closing the Marina, so boats will need to be out by then, according to Mayor Tom Brennan.

"You're better out of the water than in, as far as with the winds and everything they're calling for, [like] tide changes," Behan added.

Of course, there are those who simply tether their vessel to the dock, and hope for the best.

"Some people prefer their boats to stay in the water and run with the storm," Behan said. "Just tie off the boat as best as possible and keep your fingers crossed."

Most seem to be taking the safe approach, as boats were being hoisted or towed out of the water, at the private marina, and the  docks near . Houses with covered up boats in the yard are a common sight in the area when the weather turns cold, but Irene is moving the calendar ahead a bit.

While boaters on Friday were busy securing their vessels, those without boats were just trying to enjoy things before the storm clouds form on Friday. Venetian Shores was full of sun bathers and swimmers, and the marina was hopping with fishermen, and even crabbers, who say storm time means dinnertime.

"Usually, [the supply] gets better before the storm, and then also gets better after the storm," said Robert Mulvey of Farmingdale, hauling in a fresh batch of crabs, ready to be steamed.

But, besides an abundance of fish, what exactly can we expect down by the sea?

"Any severe [storms], the most we have is some flooding, some debris from stuff in the water that ends up on land, but no real boat damage per se," Behan said.

And getting the boats on land, as the Village urged, could only help.