City warns boat owners about heavy snow, ice build up

Boats bob in the icy water at Aurora Harbor. A wintor storm brought snow and freezing rain to Juneau early this week.
Boats bob in the icy water at Aurora Harbor. A wintor storm brought snow and freezing rain to Juneau early this week. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

Check your boats for snow and ice. That’s the word from the City and Borough of Juneau’s Docks and Harbors Department.

Heavy snow and ice can cause a boat to sink, and Harbormaster Dwight Tajon says the white stuff is starting to pile up on some vessels.

“If there’s any snow build up on the boat, do your best to remove it,” Tajon says. “Make sure that your bilges are free of any type of ice and scuppers and everything else are clear.”

Tajon says most boat owners do a good job checking their vessels, and Docks and Harbors staff do regular patrols as well.

“Our guys go down daily to do an inventory, and they would note if there’s a potential boat that’s got way to much snow on it,” he says. “It doesn’t appear that’s happened yet.”

The Capital City got 3.9 inches of snowfall Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. There’s a freezing rain advisory through 6 o’ clock tonight (Wednesday).

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