Hurricane Measures

[owly]

For a live aboard, on the east coast, the lumbering monster that is Dorian has the potential of a major home wrecker, but this seems to be an annual event. What measures for avoidance or protection are people taking? If the eyewall comes anywhere near you, there is little hope, no matter how well you are secured, and with the violent storm surge and high water and wind, even if your own boat stays put, there are thousands of others who as past experience shows will break loose and crash around like a loose cannon destroying everything they come into contact with. Up river, there may be a quiet spot in a narrow channel but then there is the flash flood, high water heavy rains, and high winds to take the trees that are offering some shelter right down on your boat.
I'm reminded of an old joke..."What does a tornado have in common with a redneck divorce?"..... answeer: "Someone is going to lose their trailerhouse"



It seems that the only real safety is to be out of the hurricane zone....New England or Canada, or South America.... Perhaps the Great Lakes.


I'm curious what folks here are doing......


H.W.

[Ita]

You tied the boat until it looks ridiculous, and then you tied it more...

[sailorboy1]

Took my dinghy into a marina in Pensacola a month ago that was destroyed by Michael last Oct. In the far corner there was still a boat tried up that looked like Spiderman had visited it. I don't think it can get out of the web or the marina.

[owly]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Took my dinghy into a marina in Pensacola a month ago that was destroyed by Michael last Oct. In the far corner there was still a boat tried up that looked like Spiderman had visited it. I don't think it can get out of the web or the marina.

Did it look like it had survived OK? I wonder if there are people still trapped and rotting slowly away in there ;-)

There are several Utubes of people weathering tropical cyclones by going far up a waterway in the mangroves, and doing the spiderman thing....... One thing about mangroves .... they can't fall on your boat and destroy it like a tree can.
The worst thing is to depend on a mooring it seems........They are notorious for breaking loose, and then there are the slips that come loose due to the storm surge taking them over the top of the posts, and all the boats floating away still tied up..... I like what they do in the islands..... dig a hole for the keel, and set the boat on the ground with the keel in the hole.... presumably burying anchors of some sort in the sand to tie the boat down to as well.... a barrel of sand, a piece of iron, a log, etc....
Your boat can be solid as heck, but if something crashes in to it, it's still wrecked....


H.W.

[a64pilot]

Very often the boats that don’t survive were not prepped.
I swear I believe that many boat owners must be cheering for the Hurricane, mouth watering at the thought of the Insurence check.
Or they are just plain lazy, or not very smart, but sometimes just absent and won’t or can’t pay someone to do the prep work, there are people of course that you can pay to do that.

To answer your question, you have a plan. That plan may consist of already having a reservation if you will for a spot on the hard, I believe some pay in advance for that privilege.
I’ve not done that, so far may plan has been to find what I consider to be a survivable Marina, one I was in in Panama City I knew wasn’t so my plan then was I had a spot picked out to anchor out, and I believe some boats that did survived Michael, none in the Marina survived, and you don’t get much worse than Michael.

Anyway where I am at in Jacksonville which is I hope a survivable Marina, based on history it is. Anyway most have prepped well, a few have done nothing at all, even leaving lawn furniture on deck. It seems the boats with for sale signs on them have been marginally prepped by Brokers, something that I didn’t know was done, only one or two prepped by owners, and even then you don’t see new dock lines.

Anyway I hope what happens is that the storm gives us a pass, and those that did nothing will walk around with an air of superiority congratulating themselves for not buying into the hype.

I’ve seen it before a few times.

It’s interesting to see how different boat types prep differently, I have yet to see a a Cat pull the main, never seen it even once, must be a real bear to do.
Most power boats don’t tie in well, I think maybe that as a rule they don’t understand the power of wind as well as a Sailor?
You see things that are all over the place too, one couple on a sister ship to mine, stripped everything, even the Solar panel etc., but their lines are in my mind both way undersized and not nearly enough of them.

Then some say “I’ve done all I can” and get in the car and leave, where I’m convinced that if it gets bad that there is a lot you can do to save a boat from adding / replacing chafed lines, to adjusting loose ones etc.

It’s definitely a crap shoot, however I believe to a large extent you can control the odds.

[model 10]

I don't see how anybody can handle hurricanes, way to much drama. Also, we don't have insurance so it would be a total loss if the boat was damaged. I've moved our boat a 1000 miles south to perfect safety and it only costs us a couple of $800 plane tickets every year.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by owly

Did it look like it had survived OK? I wonder if there are people still trapped and rotting slowly away in there ;-)

Don't know. The boat looked fine except really really dirty like no one has visited in a looooooooong time.

BTW - I mistyped, it was in Panama City not Pensacola

[belizesailor]

Secure boat as best you can, confirm insurance paid, book flight inland!

[contrail]

Originally Posted by owly

Did it look like it had survived OK? I wonder if there are people still trapped and rotting slowly away in there ;-)

There are several Utubes of people weathering tropical cyclones by going far up a waterway in the mangroves, and doing the spiderman thing....... One thing about mangroves .... they can't fall on your boat and destroy it like a tree can.
The worst thing is to depend on a mooring it seems........They are notorious for breaking loose, and then there are the slips that come loose due to the storm surge taking them over the top of the posts, and all the boats floating away still tied up..... I like what they do in the islands..... dig a hole for the keel, and set the boat on the ground with the keel in the hole.... presumably burying anchors of some sort in the sand to tie the boat down to as well.... a barrel of sand, a piece of iron, a log, etc....
Your boat can be solid as heck, but if something crashes in to it, it's still wrecked....


H.W.

In Irma, may floated out of the holes.

[Palarran]

The problem is Irma and Maria redefined the level of preparation needed. The old "take it to the mangroves" simply won't work in a Cat 4 or 5 direct hit. Even if you study all the marinas and do absolutely everything you can - your still at risk because again, these MR'ers are just too powerful. I probably lost my boat today and am heart broken over it. But I saw it last week and know that nothing more could have been done that would have made a difference. Bad luck.

[sdowney717]

Hurricane measure that is effective, dont keep a boat in an area which gets a major hurricane coming every couple of years.

[owly]

This thread really was about real full time live aboards, where losing your boat means losing your home........ and being homeless. For other boat owners, it is a different equation.... as one person said...... make sure your insurance is paid up and fly inland, or as has been pointed out collecting the insurance may be an easy way out of boat ownership that is costing more than you want to spend. If a boat needs new sails and standing rigging, and a refit, and the engine is in poor condition, etc... a hurricane could be a blessing. When your boat is your home and you do not have a land base, I presume you get out of the hurricane zone during the season... if you can. If not the stress will be intense............


H.W.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I probably lost my boat today and am heart broken over it. But I saw it last week and know that nothing more could have been done that would have made a difference. Bad luck.

Wow, that’s really tough. From the TV coverage we saw today in which entire villages were destroyed, the chances of boats whether in the water or on the hard, surviving that blow seems remote. Problem is the storm appears to have stalled and is moving at something like 3 knots, hammering the same area for a prolonged period.

Hope against hope that your boat survives - sometimes insurance just doesn’t cut it. Good luck.

[Sos]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

Hope against hope that your boat survives - sometimes insurance just doesn’t cut it. Good luck.

2nd that sentiment - tough times for a lot of people. Hope she survives.

[Nicholson58]

ROXY storm prep:

Go to Trinidad. On the hard at Power Boats.
Air conditioner in the main hatch.
Heat shrink summer cover.
$350 ticket to Houston
Worry about friends we’ve made in the islands