Local News in Brief : Avalon Harbor Warning

Avalon Harbor, battered by 40- to 50-knot winds and swells to six feet generated by storms this week, is dangerous for recreational boaters right now, officials warned Thursday.

Two boats were driven ashore after mooring lines snapped during the storms, and a 37-foot sailboat is missing from its Hamilton Cove mooring. More than a dozen dinghies tumbled ashore through storm surf, and the harbor is littered with floating debris, including broken pier pilings.

Vessels, brought to Avalon because of low winter rates and left unattended, create a hazard to other moored vessels and to harbor personnel when mooring lines fail, said Mary Salisbury, Harbor Department administrative officer. She encouraged recreational boaters to heed small-craft warnings and storm forecasts and to call ahead to check on local conditions before cruising to Avalon during the stormy winter months.

The number for the Avalon Harbor Department is (213) 520-0535.