December 9, 2023 was a bad night for the residents of Middle Tennessee, around Nashville. An EF2 tornado with winds of 130 mph tore through the area, damaging hundreds of buildings. The phenomenon did not spare the boating world either, as several marinas were affected, including Anchor High Marina in Hendersonville, where almost 200 boats were damaged.
Located in a highly protected area on the shores of Old Hickory Lake, the marina suffered extensive damage. Roofs and pontoons were shattered, and boats piled on top of each other.
Mitch Miller, the marina's owner, couldn't believe his eyes when he first reacted: "We've been here for 17 years and I've never had anything like this."
Nearly 200 boats destroyed or damaged
The marina has 150 berths in the water and 100 on land. Some of the undamaged boats were temporarily accommodated free of charge in other marinas in the area, and towed away by pontoon.
The marina's other attraction is "The Rudder" a famous local restaurant, which miraculously suffered little damage beyond a few broken windows. A real miracle, given that some thirty people were dining there at the time.
Nearly two months after that terrible evening, clearing operations are continuing slowly. The work is made all the more difficult by winter conditions, with several episodes of heavy rain and snow, and temperatures hovering around -4°F.
After negotiations with the insurers, work has finally begun. After the clean-up, everything will have to be rebuilt, a process that will take time, but the marina hopes to be fully reopened by the end of 2024.
The restaurant, for its part, reopened a few days later and, although the number of boaters is obviously down, the owner remains optimistic.
