The reason you take your headsail down in a hurricane!

[CHM]

I couldn't believe how many boats took no action to prepare for this disaster!

Really! This is scary ****. I have seen so much damage here near Ponce Inlet due to poor preparation and planning.


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[SV DestinyAscen]

I suspect it's general indifference or multiple owners, or focusing on home and letting the boat go.

I can't imagine leaving any sort of furled sail even without storm. Just the unnecessary beating from the environment and UV is enough motivation.

[tuffr2]

Sometimes the owner lives away from the boat is my guess. I kinda know this as I store an RV in Florida and was in Ohio during tropical storm Hermine which hit my RV.

But I would think, like on an RV all the slides are in, I would expect all the sails to be down and tucked away every time you leave the boat.

Is there any reason like the sail is difficult to lower? The sail is difficult to secure?



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[zeehag]

those who are far away should have prepped for leaving boat in a cane zone. prep before leaving and you are not in trouble when it happens. do not, and endanger others and marina as well.
your irresponsibility can harm others. that aint right. see damages done during newton in mexico and your marinas in fla.
i know warnings were initiated over a week in advance. i know because i was warning folks.
what other excuses are there for irresponsible boat ownership???

[roverhi]

Some people don't give a damn and expect their insurance will cover any problems. Of course, all the rest of us have to pay for their stupidity in increased insurance rates.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by zeehag

those who are far away should have prepped for leaving boat in a cane zone. prep before leaving and you are not in trouble when it happens. do not, and endanger others and marina as well.
your irresponsibility can harm others. that aint right. see damages done during newton in mexico and your marinas in fla.
i know warnings were initiated over a week in advance. i know because i was warning folks.
what other excuses are there for irresponsible boat ownership???

NO EXCUSE ACCEPTED. If you are more than 2 hrs away from the boat, you strip it. Insurance usually requires this. Mine does, and my boat is in front of my house.

[tuffr2]

Are the sails difficult to put away? Does not make sense to let the sails up. It is like leaving a powerboat with the engine in and in gear but secured with ropes.

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[Jolly Roger]

Three or four headsails opened up and stripped themselves in our marina, and I think the owners had only themselves to blame. Even if they were unable to get to their boat you would think they might ask a neighbor, or the marina people. We had plenty of warning of Matthew after all.
The most important thing you can do is reduce the windage.
We had a few strong blows over the six months I had my masts out of the boat and we couldn’t believe how quietly she sat, while others were rocking and rolling.
I stripped my three roller furling sails long ago. Apart from considerably reducing windage, it saves wear on the sails from dust, sun, etc.
For Matthew I also removed the bimini and all the hatch coverings. I lowered the yard and dropped the booms and lashed them. I also disconnected the shore power cables and brought them inside.
I brought the halyards inboard to the masts, instead of on the pinrails where they normally sit. You would be amazed how much windage is caused by a half inch line stretching fifty feet into the air.
I’m half inclined to leave her like that for the rest of the hurricane season, although she looks a bit forlorn, like she’s just had a punch in the teeth from mother nature.

[Wayfarer1008]

It has to be understood most Luxury purchases such as RV's and Boats are bought for no other reason than to be trophy's of wealth and or status. This crowd will visit their boats, may take them out on occasion but will do no maintenance even as simple as lowering a sail in preparation for a storm.

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Wayfarer1008

It has to be understood most Luxury purchases such as RV's and Boats are bought for no other reason than to be trophy's of wealth and or status. This crowd will visit their boats, may take them out on occasion but will do no maintenance even as simple as lowering a sail in preparation for a storm.

This is the dumbest thing I have read on this forum this year.

[SSgtPitt]

Originally Posted by Sailor647

This is the dumbest thing I have read on this forum this year.

Until now.

[Kenomac]

All the sails on our boat always come down and get put away when we're not there. The outside is stripped at the end of each season of sails, bimini, dodger, dinghy and all halyards are run forward and aft to prevent banging or chafe.

[neilpride]

Marina crews and boatyard crews fail to make the place safe apart from the lazy owner,, we don't allow in the boatyard sails in place if we are under hurricane warnings, simple as that , if the owner refuse to take down the sails we jump in the deck and release the lines and drop the sails.. if he decide to stop us from droping the sails we put the boat in the water and good luck...

[Foolish]

I've seen this type of damage many times in far less than hurricane strength winds, just bad storms. What bothers me more is that no one at the marina seems to give a damn. Can the marina crew not take the 30 seconds required to re-furl the sail? Can they not even give a phone call to a boat owner to tell him that his $2,000 genoa is getting torn to shreds? That's why marinas have a phone number for each boat owner. Perhaps it's not "their responsibility", but it sure as heck would amount to good service. I'm glad that I'm at a yacht club where people actually care about each other and the shore crew thinks about the members.

[jkindredpdx]

Of course I don't live in Hurricane Territory, but I leave my covered Main on the Boom and Dodger with Full enclosure over the cockpit. Most folk around here do the same. Headsail would come down if I knew a storm was coming, but I usually don't because I sail nearly all year round.