Within a couple of hours, what once was the Albany Yacht Club dock suddenly became piles of driftwood as a huge rainstorm wiped out everything in its path.
On Saturday, nearly nine months later, the Albany Yacht Club began putting the pieces back together. Two, 100-foot-plus cranes placed the first of 70 commercial-grade galvanized steel pieces at the dock site along the Rensselaer side of the Hudson River.
A new dock system for the club, founded in 1873, was estimated to cost nearly $1 million. The club has been at its present site since the 1960s.
"We had a ton of naysayers that said we wouldn't be able to put this all together," said Kellogg, who expects the construction to be complete on May 1. "Now, we have the best commercial constructed docks available. They'll last us 75 years. Everyone is going to be happy."
Last June during the storm, a failed state lock on the river caused damage to the club's original wooden docks and a rise in the water level from 5 feet to 10. The higher water pulled the anchors out of the river bottom, causing the docks to fold.
The north end lateral dock broke first and floated south, starting a chain reaction. Within a few hours, 800 feet of dock disappeared, leaving only the main run. The docks were only 10 years old.
"I watched my boat go by and then I thought it was between me and the insurance company," said Bob Giddings, 63, of Slingerlands, who owns the Morgan R, a 40-foot trawler.
Despite an increase in fees for its 60-some members, the club has already sold all of its dock positions, which range from 25 to 50 feet. Kellogg said there is also a waiting list. Vessels at the Albany Yacht Club range in price from $5,000 to $750,000.
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