Bizarre Coincidence for Mattapoisett Boatyard

If you're superstitious, the most common bad luck day is usually Friday, the 13th, but for the Mattapoisett Boatyard, August 19 has become a day of misfortune.

It was August 19, 1991 when the boatyard was walloped by Hurricane Bob, the costliest hurricane in New England history.

The storm made tossed salad of Buzzards Bay, hurling winds of 125 miles per hour from Block Island and Newport straight into Buzzards Bay, lashing the SouthCoast from Westport and Dartmouth to Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham.

Close to 300 people were evacuated from their homes, taken to Old Rochester High School where the Red Cross served hot meals for electrical linemen, first responders and residents alike. More than one million people lost their power for days and weeks. The boatyard received its fair share of hits, with beautiful boats being tossed around like bath tub toys.

Angelica Point Cove and Crescent Beach, where most of the beach front cottages were totally ruined, took the brunt of the winds around here.

That was exactly 31 years ago.

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On the same date three decades later, August 19, 2022, a massive fire struck the same boatyard, destroying buildings, cars and boats. Witnesses claimed hearing many explosions. Fire departments from most every community offered assistance, some from as far as Providence, 35 miles away. An investigation is still ongoing to determine the exact cause.

People will definitely be looking closely at the strange August 19 occurrences, 31 years a part.