HADDAM -- People living along the Connecticut River, south of Middletown, are anxious to have the several mile ice jam broken up by Coast Guard cutters, which could happen Thursday.
Wednesday saw another opportunity to see Mother Nature's work at Andrew's Marina in Haddam.
It’s odd that a marina would be so busy in the dead of winter, but with ice stacked 5 to 10 feet high, across the entire river, just north of the swing bridge, people tend to be curious.
Even though school was out for the day, in many towns, it was like a live science class was in session at the marina.
"It’s just so cool that all the ice just is breaking off and it’s coming and like flooding the land almost," said Ava Cwiertniewicz of East Hampton.
"It’s almost as if they are mini glaciers just coming and just hitting each other," said Ava's sister, Cora Cwiertniewicz.
What’s truly amazing is how quickly Andrews Marina was impacted by ice just before Noon on Sunday, with in the 76 slip marina, being pushed over or snapped. This and ice piling up on shore was all captured on the marina's many surveillance cameras.
It only took three minutes to reshape the marina.
"It was referred to as a beautiful disaster and that’s actually what it was," said David Papallo, who has owned the marina since 2000.
"The force came in from this direction here and pushed to the upper corner (of the slips)," said Papallo. "The basin’s about 200 feet deep and (the ice flow) snapped the pilings all the way on the inside of the basin."
This despite the pilings being driven some 15 to 20 feet into the ground.
"It’s difficult to describe the sounds, but it’s a crushing or cracking," said Papallo.
A couple of hours after Sunday’s initial surge, the ice flow from the north became more prominent. By Monday morning, the river was completely still on the surface, with a two foot thick blanket of chunks spanning its width.
"It’s just so cool and pretty," said Cora Cwiertniewicz. "It’s like a scene I’d expect in Antarctica or something."
Two Coast Guard cutters are scheduled to be on the Connecticut River Thursday afternoon in an attempt to reestablish the free flow of the river.