In October of 2005 Hurricane Wilma struck near Jupiter, FL with 125 mph winds. Jupiter is about 80 miles south of Melbourne, FL. Although we escaped the full fury of this storm, Melbourne, FL received more than a glancing blow. There was a Catalac 41 moored in a sheltered mooring field in Melbourne. As the winds increased to around 85 mph, she broke her mooring line. Cast adrift, the storm winds drove her upon a rocky causeway. For hours on end that boat was pounded on the large rocks on the north side of the causeway. The crew was not onboard, and there was absolutely nothing that could be done.  I heard about this boat on a local radio station, so... as the hurricane moved across Florida, and the winds abated, I grabbed my camera and headed for that boat. The Catalac 41 survived but with serious damage to her hulls. As of Oct 2007, she is being salvaged and I wish her new owner, Marty, a speedy refit for this fine vessel. -- Rick in Florida (click here for photos) or click the hurricane damage button in the menu.