Keeping a sailboat in the Caribbean

[masonc]

I live in the Caribbean, which makes my solution a little different, but what I can advise is this:
We keep our boat floating in the lagoon the St. Martin during the sailing season, which is very convenient. There are lots of facilities there for repair, marinas, chandleries, etc, and the regulations are favourable.
We move our boat to St. Kitts for hurricane season where we take it out of the water, put it in the hole in the ground so it cannot tip over. Cost is very low, security is very good, and the boat is safe. The added benefit for you would be the excellent British Airways connection to Heathrow on a 777, very comfortable flight, direct from St. Kitts. For a Brit, St. Kitts, is a good location to store a boat. Contact me if you want more info.

[zoombats]

I haven't seen any comments on Trinidad as an option for Caribbean hurricane season. It used to be on the best insured list as being out of the zone of fear. I would consider leaving my boat there and summering in Canada with a yearly return to sail north in the winters

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Well I wasn't there and no idea what the winds were like on the Rio but here's a map of the track of Franceila in 1969. Sure looks close to me.

Certainly a near miss. Landfall in the following article is given as Punta Gorda, BZ...only about 25 miles from the mouth of the Rio (Livingston).

It did bring heavy rain to Guatemala, I assume including the Rio, but dont know what the winds were either ... I may be able to find out from older locals, but probably not very accurately.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Francelia

Having worked many years in the charter industry in Belize, I have many times helped move boats from Belize to the Rio ahead of a storm. Often as near coastal weather deteriorated rapidly...but once inside the mountains that encircle the Rio its alsways been calm...if a bit wet.

I have been on the Rio for more recent nearby landfalls and we got nothing but more rain, no significant wind directly related to the system actually in the Rio. Only big winds Ive ever seen on the Rio (home base since 2006) has been with local squalls spawned by fronts or nearby tropical weather.

[SecondBase]

Paul and Tracey,

For just a cruising area, you might start with the BVIs. A little bit of everything. Since you'd most likely make your way towards Grenada anyway you might as well not start south.

To see much of the region conveniently and rapidly, if you're really open minded, you might actually consider boarding of all things a cruise ship. Low cost during off season. A 7 day itinerary gets you onto several islands along the chain, see a number of harbors first hand, get a sense of the region.

[sailcrazy]

Adding to some of the previous comments.....IF you intend to leave your boat for part of the hurricane season each year, hiring a boat sitter/boat tender would be highly recommended, we think. As I wrote, we like and use Puerto Del Rey, in eastern Puerto Rico.....and there is a small company (1 owner and 1-2 helpers) that offer that very service. Not only do they open the boat and air it out about 1/week, they check and remove any mildew/mold, check for strap tightness, check the batteries and bilge, check for any ants/termites/bugs and remove as needed, etc,etc.....and call you if any abnormalities are found. I'm sure other haul out facilities offer a similar service. The fee is reasonable-and we think very well worth it.Case-in-point....a cruiser friend of ours left their boat in a hole at on of the haul-out facilities in the BVI-without a boat tender. When they returned some months later, and went below...they stepped right through the sole! Turns out termites found a way aboard... and ate it....but left the varnish....a huge mess and repair job!

[lazydove]

I live in Antigua and therefore a bit biased. Your decision whether you wish to keep the boat inside or outside the hurricane-zone (which has become a bit flaky in recent years). The best marina I know in the hurricane zone for a catamaran is the Northsound Marina in Antigua. Tom Helliger is now the owner of this modern, incredible marina. Huge travellift, storage on concrete with tie-downs, indoor painting facilities, storage rental, Tom can get you excellent workers.

[rms95835]

Take a look at the East Coast of Puerto Rico. It's realatively inexpensive to fly to/from San Juan, and good sailing options exist in close proximity. There are good options for storing on the hard and marina pricing tends to be more reasonable. There are also good options regarding repairs and maintenance, and Puerto Rico has quite a bit to offer relative to amenities that don't exist on some of the smaller islands.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Having worked many years in the charter industry in Belize, I have many times helped move boats from Belize to the Rio ahead of a storm. Often as near coastal weather deteriorated rapidly...but once inside the mountains that encircle the Rio its alsways been calm...if a bit wet.

I've been in Florida too long and tend to forget about the protection offered by terrain higher than 50' above sea level.

[Kirie446]

Hi, I've had a boat in St. Lucia since 2002. We live and travel on it for 3-4 months every year. I usually arrive about 2-3 January and would be glad to meet up with you. The boat is in Rodney Bay Marina.
As to ferries, there is no traffic south to the Grenadines, once in the Grenadines there is ferry service from St. Vincent to Union Is. No service from Union to any of the islands making up Grenada, but you can hire a boat to get you to Carriacou (a short hop) and from there a ferry to Grenada. I have not been to Union in a couple of years so things may have changed. As for going N, many ferries to Martinique, 1 big one from Castries and 3 from Rodney Bay, all in the afternoon but not everyday. Feel free to contact me, Terry Drew, S/V AQUARELLE, thedrews721@hotmail.com

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Hi Nani Kai,

Based on my experience as an absentee owner a few times in the past, it might not be a nightmare, but leaving a boat untended and unused for months at a time certainly has the potential, especially if that includes hurricane season in the Caribbean.

The ideas you mention can work or at least minimize the hassle but all have potential pros and cons.

1. In the water. Allows periodically running the engine and easy use if you come down for a visit. But if a hurricane hits you will be one of many trying to get to shelter and could end up stuck in an exposed situation. I'm also always nervous with a boat in the water when I'm a long way off. Leaking hoses or through hulls, dragging anchor or mooring or lines (anchor or dock lines) chaffing through. Just thinking about all that can go wrong gives me ulcers.

2. Out of the water. Even properly braced I don't like the stresses it puts on a boat long term. If you want to use the boat, you can't or you have to schedule and pay for a launch then rehaul. You can't easily run the engine and any water cooled equipment like air conditioning.

Hiring a boat sitter or maintenance person can work and I've had pretty good luck with that but I've also heard horror stories of neglected boats, damaged boats, one even stolen by the boat sitter. Even with a boat sitter, boats with absent owners are at a higher risk of theft as well.

If I were to do this again I think my preference would be to keep the boat stored on the hard, make sure there was good ventilation (solar vents or a solar panel to keep the batteries up to run a 12V vent fan), someone local to keep an eye on things and remove all the easily portable or removable expensive items like radios, GPS, binoculars, etc

Bottom line, not saying it can't work, lots and lots of people do this or similar plans but it's not without some concerns.

Many thanks skipmac. Very useful advice. From the sound of it the best option would be for me to live on the boat year round and for my wife to return to the mainland to run the business by herself. : ) (Good luck with that! )

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I've been in Florida too long and tend to forget about the protection offered by terrain higher than 50' above sea level.

Yes, surrounding terrain is all well above 50' and almost entirely encircles the Rio...you go thru a narrow canyon cut thru the hills to get in...high limestone cliffs on either side...no hurricane is likely to thread that needle.

Take a look at the area on topograhic map (Google Earth/Maps has such a view). Quite unique...way different than Flordia.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Nani Kai

Many thanks skipmac. Very useful advice. From the sound of it the best option would be for me to live on the boat year round and for my wife to return to the mainland to run the business by herself. : ) (Good luck with that! )

If you do figure that one out let me know so I can come take lessons from you.

[demacsea]

Hi Both
This might be worth a read...

Boatyards for the Caribbean Hurricane Season

[tomfl]

Maybe a little OT but I have a friend who just relocated to Florida from PR. She is very concerned about the huge debt the government has with no obvious way out. Things are so bad the animals in the zoo are not being fed. Schools closing, basic services like electric, sewage, and water have outages. Crime is on the up swing and she is not alone in leaving the island. So I am wondering how politics will/have changed PR as a viable destination?

[sailcrazy]

We've put our boat on the hard there for the past 3 seasons....and we're there now. The only different thing we've noticed....is the 11.5% tax that's now imposed on everything! That counts up quickly. all the other "issues" you cited are there, have been there, and to our perception have not changed. It's not small-town Minnesota (that's where we live the other 6 months)....but "we're not in Kansas anymore Toto" either. I say much ado about nothing!