by Jarret Liotta

WESTPORT — In light of Tropical Storm — and likely to become Hurricane — Henri’s imminent arrival Saturday night, boat owners at the Ned Dimes Marina were busy Friday afternoon preparing for the worst.

“The wind is really the issue,” explained Jean-Pierre Montillier of Westport, who came to look over his boat — Babu’s Marise — and decide on a plan to deal with potential dangers.

Boaters noted that the two big issues were the wind causing damage and the possibility that bilge pumps could fail, leaving the boat to fill with water through rain and storm surge.

“You’re pretty protected by Compo Beach here,” noted Joshua Cringle of Westport, who was taking his kids out for a Friday night jaunt, as they weren’t likely to have another chance before next week.

He said that a good amount of the wind, as well as the storm surge, would be thwarted by the landmass to the south of the marina.

He also noted that because the boats were moored on floating docks, this would make a big difference in how the boats ride the high waters.

In preparation, Cringle explained that he was tying his boat down to the dock at every point possible—four lines joining four cleats on the bow and port side of his vessel to the dock.

“The winds absolutely are a concern,” he said, explaining how raised canvass covers or canopies can be ripped off and that, likely following the storm, there would be a couple floating in the harbor.

Montillier, who said his canopy would withstand winds up to 30 miles per hour, explained that after removing them boaters were better served by putting canvas coverings to keep water from gathering inside.

He said that during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the bilge water pumps on two or three boats failed — either because of mechanical failure or because their batteries may not have been fully charged — and the boats literally sunk to the bottom of the harbor.

“Any boater should always check the bilge pump and all the drainage holes,” he said, in case one may be blocked, which could also result in a boat sinking.