Big storms? Stay aboard or sleep ashore?

[rwidman]

It's really which you value most, your boat or your life?

[Markus Carkus]

If you happen to be in N'awlins with a big storm threatening and your exit strategy is driving to Chicago, be sure to make an early start. The closer Katrina got to making a landfall the more every outbound road resembled a parking lot.
I was in the Gulf having sailed from Texas bound down around the Keys and up the east coast when Katrina came into the east gulf. She was projected to curve to the north but so far she hadn't done it and was basically tracking west. I was First Mate on an 8000 HP tug pushing a loaded chemical barge. We got to the Yucatan Peninsula and veered south into the Straits. We had about 40-50 kts. with 10-12' just forward of the beam, breaking over the deck, running at reduced rpms. After turning we had them on the port quarter and hooked her up (full rpms). During the night the storm did start it's northward turn and when her landfall became inevitable we turned back to the north and after breaking back into the Gulf resumed course for the Dry Tortugas. Sloppy going to say the least with huge confused seas. I've had a couple other brushes with named storms, both on tugs and sailboats, but never taken a direct hit. I would do a Cat. 1, maybe a 2, provided she was in a protected hidey-hole, but upwards of that count me out. Of course if I was mid-ocean I'd have no choice but to ride it out after availing myself of every possible avoidance and mitigating action. Hope that remains entirely theoretical!

[gbowen]

Tend to your boat. Send the wife and kids ashore if you must. During Hurricane Iwa in Hawaii in 1982 we watched a number of boats break free and beach. My anchors held but a house came apart and drifted onto my anchor rodes. I climbed out and chopped the wreckage free.

Every situation will be different. You may lose protection of an island because of storm surge or it could be a killer hurricane with very high winds. A friend of mine lost his boat when a barge broke free and crushed it during a Caribbean Hurricane. I would always stay with my boat.

Regards,gbowen

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by rwidman

It's really which you value most, your boat or your life?

'not an "either or" choice at all. Since you're in North Charleston you know the places miles up the west branch of the Cooper River. Even without raising the railway bridge, you have that plantation on the Huger Creek around a hairpin turn with no fetch. .... or on to the Monck's Corner area with plenty of little protected side creeks where you can keep your life and your boat.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by gbowen

I would always stay with my boat.

Regards,gbowen

Actually you wouldn't if you had ever experienced a cat 3/4 hurricane.

Take your pick. Anchored boats or boats that were at a dock. It didn't matter. A friend of mine pulled his Tayana 37 pulled. It got knocked off it's stands

https://www.google.com/search?q=hurr...7qj9GczlEtM%3A

The picture below was taken in daylight. The hurricane didn't come ashore until maybe 10pm

https://www.google.com/search?q=hurr...NpKSWKQ4MiM%3A

[Mike Banks]

Well--when Hurricane Yasi Cat 5 struck just south of Tully I was in Innisfail.

I took my Trimaran into a Mangrove creek prior to the storm, removed and stowed sails, anchored fore and aft and pulled myself towards the mangroves with nylon warps fore. aft and amidships. I also anchored another short lead with kellet amidships on a bridle to the genoa winches and bow cleats--locked up all ventilators, turned on all automatic bilge pumps and got to heck out of there. I had made all as secure as I could. While I was thus employed the police and coast guard arrived and asked "What steps are you taking?"

AT LAST I got the chance to say "Bloody BIG ones".

We came back ten days later to witness the dreadful damage to the Marina and the boats at Cardwell--and fully expected to see the masts only sticking out of the water.

The boat was fine, a small bit of paint scraped off the stern--but the masthead anemometer told me the maximum wind gusts had exceeded 150KNots--after which they had stopped working.

The batteries were completely flat0--the boat was covered in debris--the wing-deck cockpit drains had blocked and the water had gone under the doors to below decks--hence the flat batteries.

Boat was dry though--bilge pumps had handled it.

Just behind where my boat was snugged away another vessel had sheltered.

"How was it?" I asked then guy.

"Bloody terrifying--I nearly took off into the Mangroves at about 1am--I was sure it was going to flood."

It was Cat 4 when it hit Innisfail--or the part of it that hit us--I would not wish to see what a Cat 5 would do--and I was sheltered so we only ever got the strong wind from two directions, ahead and astern. Thees sheltered us on the starboard side and a hill behind sheltered the port

The greatest danger to the vessel was fallen floating timbers which fouled the anchors. Fortunately they held--and fortunately the trees came free of the hulls.

Would I stay aboard in a biggie?

Hell no.

[powsmias]

great reading here.. thanx to all

[forestguardian]

Aythya? Really the genus name of sea ducks? I love that there is another one....
We do our sea trial on a 1990 Bristol 14.1 on Wednesday and that's the name the name I picked. We already own a nice old dyer dingy and her name is Lucky Ducky.

BTW what do you use for 2nd (and 3rd?) anchors. We have lots of line an chain for a second anchor but the seller is keeping their #2.

[reed1v]

Do what the Navy does and take your boat to sea. Ride out the storm on the open ocean.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by gbowen

Tend to your boat. Send the wife and kids ashore if you must. During Hurricane Iwa in Hawaii in 1982 we watched a number of boats break free and beach. My anchors held but a house came apart and drifted onto my anchor rodes. I climbed out and chopped the wreckage free.

Every situation will be different. You may lose protection of an island because of storm surge or it could be a killer hurricane with very high winds. A friend of mine lost his boat when a barge broke free and crushed it during a Caribbean Hurricane. I would always stay with my boat.

Regards,gbowen

Curious, but where was this place where a number of boats broke free? We lived on Oahu during that time and virtually all boats on the island did quite well.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by forestguardian

Aythya? Really the genus name of sea ducks? I love that there is another one....
We do our sea trial on a 1990 Bristol 14.1 on Wednesday and that's the name the name I picked. We already own a nice old dyer dingy and her name is Lucky Ducky.

BTW what do you use for 2nd (and 3rd?) anchors. We have lots of line an chain for a second anchor but the seller is keeping their #2.

You're the first person in the 45 years that I've owned boats named "Aythya" that has shared with me that they are aware of the origin of the name! We were specifically associating with the Canvassback, but yes, the genus for a variety of sea ducks.



'and our companionway door,- taking flight!



Our primary is a 45lb Mantus on 200' of 5/16" chain. Our secondary is a 45 lb Bruce on 15 ft. of chain followed by 300' of nylon and our third anchor is a grapnel for rock, but I rarely bring it out.

Continuing this talk of staying on the boat in a severe hurricane, I still challenge this talk of dread with a cat 5! It's all about location, location, location! Let's say you're between the locks in the Dismal Swamp Canal. Downed trees might keep you there for a couple months, but you and your boat will be fine. Let's say you are at the head of the Corsica River off the Chester River up the Chesapeake. You'll be fine. What about my last hideout for, admittedly a tropical storm, but at the far end of the un-named creek that extends furthest to the southeast from East Lake off the Alligator River in North Carolina,- a quarternary creek with no fetch tucked deep in the high forest. Worst case scenario would be a tree falling on your boat while you're trapped in the mud.

[gbowen]

I had a question about we were anchored on Oahu during Hurricane Iwa. At that time Keehi Lagoon was an unrestricted anchorage and we anchored at the seaward end for 22 months. It was the seaward end that had the most exposure. the house blew off the island at the lagoon entrance. I do not remember the names of the beached boats except for Skyward. It is true Iwa did not do a lot of damage to boats. The winds were only about 100 mph or so. We saw worse weather later in Alaska. gbowen

[Steadman Uhlich]

I put together a playlist on Youtube that has over 30 videos related to sailboats surviving or enduring or wrecking in a Hurricane. It is focused on hurricanes, not just storms.

I will add more videos as I find them. There was a video I saw last year, but cannot find now, that showed a single sailor staying aboard his boat (moored) in Southern Florida during a hurricane. He survived, but as I recall, his boat was shown in a still image at the end sunk next to a concrete breakwater. If anyone remembers that video title or hurricane or boat name or has the link, let me know. I would like to share it and add it to my playlist too.

Sailing Hurricane Survival & Preparation
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...A0zu_b7DrXe-sG

[ingrid75]

I was in niafu, vava'u, tonga when a cat five cyclone passed right over the anchorage. (We got the "eye") I prepared my boat as well as possible and then went ashore to wait out the storm in a friend's house. The house blew away like Dorothy's in "the wizard of oz" and we spent the rest of the night waist deep in a concrete cistron. My boat dragged a quarter of a mile but survived undamaged. But fourteen boats were lost. It is always a judgment call and a crap shoot.

[Panope]

Nice video list, Steady. Thanks for posting it. I remember watching the video that you looking for but I cannot find it either.

However, you may want to add this one to your list.

Steve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIBDYVJFrHQ