Challange: Ride Out Any Hurricane

[bewitched]

Dropping the keel - not a good idea - where I live in SE Asia we get 4 or 5 typhoons (what we call hurricanes) a year. Boats on swing moorings that don't have keels (i.e. daggerboard boats) or have them lifted (retractable keels) tend to roll and snap off the mast on the way round (because the mast sticks into the bottom).

Typical preparation is:
Strip the boat above decks
Lots of stretchy lines to the mooring encased in flexible plastic pipe (chafe is the big problem)
Do not use chain - it will snap
check your insurance
head for the bar

[Martinini]

Fay and Gustav way up the Mobile River behind 12 mile Island in Alabama!!

[Don Lucas]

Its like eating a dozen raw potatoes for lunch and feeling them wiggle in your tummy ........"

I've been wondering what that feeling was caused by :-)

[Vic de Beer]

Ever driven a car at .... say 70 mph and then stuck your hand out the window...????
Now imagine every one of your standing rigging stays.... a fishuing pole at say 50 ft long, stuck out the car window at 70 mph..... crazy eh?
The initial post stated 4:1 anchor chain.... try at a minimum 5:1 and the make it 4 x ... one anchor to each major compass point because thats where the wind could come from.... any direction. Then,make sure there are no sails up, no dodger.... nothing that could create wind resistance.... then get off the boat yourself and find a place to pray to yourself...
I was in (near - passed by within 50 miles) a huricane and at 70 mph wind you cannot breath, cannot stand up or hope to do anything if your boat is threatened... you are risking your life.

[Mule]

This is easy, remove mast, get a lift, get a truck, load boat , head for Omha, NE. Do this at first indication of a tropical depression. This rule only applies in the western Hemisphere. In other parts of the world, the principle applies but do not, I repeat, do not head for Omaha.

Othere than that the "follow the commercial guys" is the perfect advice.

[Martinini]

Reality check --In Katrina every boat hauled out and put on the lots at any of the marinas around here wound washed up in a pile somewhere. The boats anchored out and left gone as well, the ones that made it were the ones that ran up the Bay or rivers anchored and the owner stayed with the boat to adjust rode. The storm surge here was 30 feet as the stain on the wall at West Marine will attest. It is built on 15 foot pylons. Oh yeah thats 25 miles from the Gulf! For the most part winds aren't the problem, the storm surge is. A full keel sail boat can survive amazingly high winds when prepared--without damage.

[Pelagic]

You’re right, Swanee…getting out of a TRS zone if you can is the best option.

I want to get to know Malaysia a lot better for that very reason, but the Philippines is my home and I love it.

Problem is that you can get a nasty Typhoon in the Philippines any month of the year, so there is no simple solution if you enjoy cruising and living there.

You just have to be always on “standby” to find a good Typhoon shelter and have the best ground tackle available.

Leaving the boat to fend for itself during a TRS is a personal decision that only the individual can make. My own opinion is if you do not have a “Storm Plan” that gives you enough confidence to stay on board and monitor the situation, then that says a lot about your Plan.

Vic de Beer, I would never put anchors out at 4 points as you suggest, since keeping the boat broadside to the winds and surge is not recommended.

Better to let it swing on your heaviest ground tackle, so that it presents the least resistance to the rotating forces at anchor and position with enough room for a controlled drag.

The exception to this is when you are trussed up amongst the mangroves, then the more tie points you have the better.

I think the biggest problem sailors have in popular sailing areas, is that the anchorages are too crowded with not enough swing room for all the scope and a controlled drag, when a TRS hits hard.

[Vic de Beer]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

You’re right, Swanee…getting out of a TRS zone if you can is the best option.


Vic de Beer, I would never put anchors out at 4 points as you suggest, since keeping the boat broadside to the winds and surge is not recommended.

Better to let it swing on your heaviest ground tackle, so that it presents the least resistance to the rotating forces at anchor and position with enough room for a controlled drag.

The exception to this is when you are trussed up amongst the mangroves, then the more tie points you have the better.

I.

Actually, what I meant was: 4 anchors as stated, but hanging by the bow. That is, all anchors on one line (a nice heavy one), attached to the bow, allowing the boat to swing 360 degrees, no matter where the wind was from, an achor is to windward.