How/Where to Anchor in a Hurricane/Typhoon

[HopCar]

My boat has gone through at least three hurricanes. She is up a narrow canal with high banks that shelter her some. Andrew destroyed the dock but the pilings held and Possum wasn't damaged.

A customer of mine spider webbed his boat in a mangrove forest. He was killed by flying debris but the boat survived with minor damage. They didn't find his remains until several years later.

Don't leave any canvas exposed on the boat. It will tear loose and cause damage to what ever it is secured to. Roller furled sails will be destroyed and may take the mast with them. Take them down.

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by HopCar

My boat has gone through at least three hurricanes. She is up a narrow canal with high banks that shelter her some. Andrew destroyed the dock but the pilings held and Possum wasn't damaged.

A customer of mine spider webbed his boat in a mangrove forest. He was killed by flying debris but the boat survived with minor damage. They didn't find his remains until several years later.

Don't leave any canvas exposed on the boat. It will tear loose and cause damage to what ever it is secured to. Roller furled sails will be destroyed and may take the mast with them. Take them down.

Thanks,

A sad situation indeed. Guess he acted a bit too late, and either didn't get below or home soon enough - seriously tragic.

We survived a Category 2 cyclone recently, which was a good 100 miles away. We were tied to a dock/pontoons and encountered only 60 knt winds. We covered and tied the main down very well, then used halyards to wrap the furled foresails tightly against the stays. That worked in the kind of winds we sustained.

From your experience, we would need to haul everything down, well in advance to be able to weather winds twice as strong.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

G2L

[seasick]

Anchor where there will be the least fetch regardless of wind direction. I worry less about dragging than others dragging down on me. Anchor such that if the eye of the storm passes close and the wind switches 180 degrees you'll still have shore room. If you have three anchors put two out and keep one ready to deploy. Don't be afraid to ease the strain on your anchors by motoring forward but this takes constant vigilance lest you ride up on your rode in the lulls.

[seasick]

Another consideration worth mentioning is that when the swell and surge pick up, the sand holding your anchors can often disappear in a big hurry leaving a flat coral bottom that looks more like a tennis court than holding ground. This circumstance has lead to the demise of hundreds of boats in exposed roadsteads in places like Hawaii and the South Pacific.

[HopCar]

The fellow who I knew that was killed had gone on deck during the storm to secure a transom door that had come open. His friend watching from inside the cabin saw him hit by debris and go over the side.


My experience with roller furled sails comes from helping my cousin in Punta Gorda after Charlie. Every sailboat that had left furled sails on the boat lost the sails and some had lost their mast. Wrapping them in line didn't help in that strength storm.

[a64pilot]

Silly question, but a Tri, would it make sense to partially flood one to increase its weight? Or am I making too much of this wind getting under it thing?


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Tetepare]

I'm not sold on mangrove rivers. Swamp maybe, but the rivers near the end of the storm and after are roaring and everything gets swept away- things like bridges and houses and cars. I've seen this in the several storms I've been through, all Category 1.

It may not be bad on coastal plains like Virginia, but I would highly advise against going up a river in Viti Levu and try to ride out there since the mountains are rain funnels and that water comes screaming down. Besides which, in many places the rivers are blocked by bridges (at least in the beginning).

Tongatapu, OK. Guadalcanal, no way. Pohnpei, forget it. Majuro and Tarawa- no rivers. Sydney, maybe.

[zeehag]

i endured the strongest furycame on record--yes even stronger than winston-- thank gods it was small center--- but it was still vile. there are places on west coast safe from storms. you experience the storm but ye donot get the damages as the location has been designed for the job of hidey hole.
if we knew where you are located, info could be made more specific for ye.

[JPA Cate]

G2L,

One problem that hasn't been mentioned yet are the tourist boats, that go up the mangrove creek when planned, and spiderweb. You have to get tucked way back in there, where there is little flow, before they do, or go somewhere else.

What State are you located in? or, even, what country? In Cairns, Qld., Australia, the Harbourmaster assigns the places for all the boats to go--the docks are emptied.

Ann

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

G2L,

One problem that hasn't been mentioned yet are the tourist boats, that go up the mangrove creek when planned, and spiderweb. You have to get tucked way back in there, where there is little flow, before they do, or go somewhere else.

What State are you located in? or, even, what country? In Cairns, Qld., Australia, the Harbourmaster assigns the places for all the boats to go--the docks are emptied.

Ann

Ann.. I get the feeling he's around the Phili Pirate zone.. or further East

[velella15]

Just a warning about the advice to tie up in a mangrove creek. I was in a ketch hiding from a cyclone in the Bay of Islands, Fiji. Two yacht were anchored up a nearby creek where they escaped most of the wind that I experienced. However, it is common to get torrential rain with a cyclone - water built up behind debris in the creek until it burst through sending a wall of water out to the sea. The two yachts still attached to mangroves dragged out into the bay and caused havoc amongst the other sheltering vessels (the event is described in "Beneath the Surface; tales of a sailing marine biologist" by Michael King)

[RaymondR]

A few years ago a cat 4 or 5 went through a place called Cardwell in the Hinchenbrook Passage and all the boats and pontoons ended up in a massive windrow to one side of the marina. One boat went down the Passage and anchored/tied off in a mangrove creek and although declared missing turned up a few days later undamaged.


About two years ago there was a series of posts herein of a cat which had sheltered in Island Head Creek fairly close to the mouth but back in the mangroves. It flipped and rolled three sixty into the mangroves but was salvaged.


You do not have to be very far inland before the wind speed starts to drop, if one is available I am going as far up the nearest river and up a side stream if one is available otherwise as near to the bank as possible on the inside just down stream of a bend. Be mindful that trees can lose limbs or blow over so avoid the big ones. Google Earth is a good tool to help find these places.


A small axe and a trenching tool are handy things to have aboard if you need to cut small logs and bury them in trenches as deadmen in the absence of decent sized trees to tie off to or to bury an anchor ashore.


I have found that taking a fairly long bow line ashore and setting for and aft breast lines allows one to set the rudder to hold the boat off the bank in a fast flowing river.

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by seasick

Anchor where there will be the least fetch regardless of wind direction. I worry less about dragging than others dragging down on me. Anchor such that if the eye of the storm passes close and the wind switches 180 degrees you'll still have shore room. If you have three anchors put two out and keep one ready to deploy. Don't be afraid to ease the strain on your anchors by motoring forward but this takes constant vigilance lest you ride up on your rode in the lulls.

Got it. In this neck of the woods, I have heard at least a couple of stories which would validate your primary worry.

Expecting a 180 also makes sense, but I am worried about the 2 anchor solution. If they got tangled when it was blowing 250 kmh, I'd be risking my life trying to free one. What's your take on that?

Thanks,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by seasick

Another consideration worth mentioning is that when the swell and surge pick up, the sand holding your anchors can often disappear in a big hurry leaving a flat coral bottom that looks more like a tennis court than holding ground. This circumstance has lead to the demise of hundreds of boats in exposed roadsteads in places like Hawaii and the South Pacific.

Good to know. Frankly, it's hard to imagine holding in sand in that kind of a blow. The locals here take rebar and bend it into 4 hooks, so it will hang on coral. I would hope my 35lb Bruce would accomplish the same.


For better or for worse, we are hooked on some coral right now : )

Thanks,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by HopCar

The fellow who I knew that was killed had gone on deck during the storm to secure a transom door that had come open. His friend watching from inside the cabin saw him hit by debris and go over the side.


My experience with roller furled sails comes from helping my cousin in Punta Gorda after Charlie. Every sailboat that had left furled sails on the boat lost the sails and some had lost their mast. Wrapping them in line didn't help in that strength storm.

Very sad outcome for the skipper. Thanks for the details on the furled sails.

Appreciate your input.

G2L