Hurricane Bill August 23, 2009 Page 1
Sunday, August 23rd started out like another sunny August day when the more threatening clouds
started to build. We all knew that Hurricane Bill was passing the Maine coastline as it headed
toward Nova Scotia, and everyone was anxious not only to see how big the waves would get but
also how well our new sea wall would behave in the almost certain pounding that it would receive.
Family and neighbors started to group along Bayview about noontime. To our surprise, threats of
mid-day showers never materialized, and the sun stayed out in full force for the afternoon.
Some maritime relics had come ashore on a previous tide and were about to go again for another
ride.
At the foot of Pearl Street, neighbors set up lawn chairs just to watch!
At first, the waves provided excitement galore for many swimmers.
The heaviest surf seem to crest several hundred yards from the beach.
And the waters did a good job of washing accumulated sand off of the lower stairs.
As the tide rose, virtually all beach area between Houghton and the end of Shipwreck was lost to
the waves.
