Harbormasters ask boaters to ‘hunker down’ before Isaias arrives Tuesday

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — With Tropical Storm Isaias expected to reach New England by Tuesday evening, harbormasters across the region are asking boaters to make preparations before the weather gets worse.

Jim Broccoli, the harbormaster in North Kingstown, sent out a memo over the weekend, asking all boat owners to prepare.

“The antennas go down, the flags go off, you hunker down and put extra lines on the mooring,” explained boater Brad Allen.

Both Wickford Harbor and Allen Harbor Marina in North Kingstown were bustling Monday morning, with boaters tightening their lines and preparing for the storm.

Ed Hughes, the manager at Allen Harbor Marina boasted that his marina is one of the safest in the region. 

“It’s protected,” Hughes said. “We have land area all around and the wind coming in from any direction is usually broken up,” he explained, “so it has a sheltered type of atmosphere.”

While Isaias isn’t expected to have a major impact on New England, Hughes knows to never take any storm too lightly.

“We’re due for a bad one,” the former harbormaster said, “and it’s 2020, so who knows.”