STORM Preparation in Marinas

[zeehag]

there are 2 actual huricane hole marinas in west coast mexico.
one is ixtapa, which is south of the major cane growth areas, and isla navidad, where i weathered patricia. each was designed with canes in mind. and richie rich's mega yachts.
make sure you are bow into the approaching storm winds. double tie all lines. use pilings for tie offs. place all boarding ladders on deck and lash down.
my boat does poorly with fresh water on its roof--i tarp and lash those tarps with spiderwebbed lines over the top of the tarps. i drop boom, lash em to hull via hawse, as opposed to the lifelines, and make sure my sails are tied and lashed well. remove roller jib.
i should have removed the wind genny from mizzen masthead and shipped my boarding ladder. oops i didnt. fail. next time they will not be an issue.
we have floating docks.i had a finger each side of my boat. i tied to each cleat on both sides of each finger and all 3 pilings.
my boat broke a cleat off the dock, and one boat broke its lines. repeatedly. a lady in a neighboring boat, spent the cane on board and helped as things broke on her dock.
it was wicked it was strong--we had 215 mph steady and 250 + gusting, but thank heavens it was a fast moving storm, unlike debbie, which was a large slow moving mayhem.
had patricia been slower moving, we would have experienced much more damages. the hotel was trashed --broken windows and flooding inside.
yes marina was safer than hotel.

because of th e design of the cane hole, no surge enters the lagoon. no surge enters marina. the action of the storm, wind opposing impending surge, made it safer than most marinas in canes.
most just are not designed with canes in mind.

[belizesailor]

Most marinas are bad places to be in a storm. Other boats and docks do lots of damage.

Ideally get out of the marina and into a good hurricane hole with no other boats nearby.

[dwedeking2]

I stayed on my boat for Matthew. As a newbie I had two observations:

1) Everything was fine through the majority of the storm. With the wind blowing in one direction, while it was stronger, it was easier handled by the docks and boats. It's when it started to cycle around as the storm passed that bad things started happening. As the wind changed the water got confused and things started bouncing, this changed the forces from horizontal to horizontal and vertical at the same time. The pilings were tall enough to handle the normal surge but when the wave action started the finger docks would bounce over the top and then move sideways. So next time I'll pay a little more attention to the forces at play throughout all faces of the storm vs just were the strongest winds will come from.

2) I was amazed at the amount of canvas left up by people. My thinking was "what's the worst case scenario ok plan for that". I stripped everything that wasn't bolted down to the deck except the lines used to tie off. I then doubled the lines to tie off. Not only did the wind kill the canvas left up (but I'm sure Rich Powerboat Bob has insurance to take care of that) but it also those boats that had the most damage to the surrounding dock as that windage added unneeded forces to the infrastructure of the marina. I'd say 20% of the boats at the marina saw extra attention from owners prior to the storm. The marina staff did walk the docks and add additional lines to marginally tied up docks.

I'm in northern Florida now and it's flat. Any area that I can think of that shelters from the wind does so by trees (otherwise known as missiles in 40 - 50 knot winds). The marina I'm at does provide some structure to hide behind with the buildings and large bridge next to it.

Again, I'm a newbie so just my observations/experiences.

[landsend]

What would your insurance company say about abandoning a marina, going to a safe hurricane hole and losing your boat? Would they deny coverage ?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by landsend

What would your insurance company say about abandoning a marina, going to a safe hurricane hole and losing your boat? Would they deny coverage ?

Why would they do that? The erroneous perception that the marina is a safe haven?

My insurance company requires a hurricane plan. My plan, accepted by them, does not involve marinas.

Shrimpers ln the Gulf of Mexico have an effective strategy. Motor as far up into mangroves inland as they can, remove al electronics, plug openings in the engine, and flood the boat. Works quite well...but would be hard on the average fancy cruising boat.

[Scot McPherson]

the insurance company would be happiest if you hauled out before the storm.


regarding the docks, the best thing that can happen is that the boat owners all work together and create a spiderweb of lines between boats and docks so that if one line, cleat or finger dock gives way, the rest of the spiderweb holds on to it.

[evbeck]

We were in a marina 12 miles north of Beaufort SC when Matthew hit. We had done a lot of prep on our Bristol 47 but certain other boats had not. Marina broke up and 25 of 27 boats left in the water sank or washed ashore. We were one of two that survived. We were on a face dock and put out two large anchors on other side. Anchors ultimately saved us after another boat likely battered us. Our lines pulled cleats out of dock when dock broke up. Getting hauled is best. For Matthew, we still debate whether leaving for a river and anchoring would have been preferable. Damage repair still underway in Apr 2017.

[Scot McPherson]

evbeck, I agree, it's the other boaters that ruin a good prep plan. We lost our boat in Hurricane Andrew, tied off at almost the end of a canal. From the pileup of boats at the end of the canal after the fact you see that other boats had broken free and floated in between our boat and the dock. Once those lines broke, even the anchors out in the middle of the canal could do nothing since the boat swung into where the floating boat heap had collected.

[chala]

https://nt.gov.au/marine/for-all-har...communications

https://www.darwinport.com.au/sites/...0Procedure.pdf

http://bayviewmarina.com.au/PDF/Cycl...re_2015-16.pdf

http://www.cullenbaymarina.com.au/CyclonePlan.pdf

https://nt.gov.au/marine/for-all-har...yclone-refuges

Be aware that crocodiles may be present in these cyclone refuges.

[Hickers]

Having just experienced cyclone Debbie with its 24 hours of 150 knot plus winds and had the job of inspecting damaged boats I can suggest

No short ropes
Do not use non stretch rope
Rope to every available clear and bollard
Run ropes to the marina pillars to keep as much load off the fingers as possible
Double up all ropes
Rope to the main jetty

Secure your neighbors vessel if needed
Remove every canopy and all clears
Remove aerials
Tape up all doors and hatches
Remove the power cord
Remove all cushions
Be heavy with diesel, fresh water and supplies
Inside prep the boat as you would for heavy weather

Most badly damaged boats here were brought down by pontoon failure and/or snapped rope. You have to keep shock loads as low as possible to reduce chance of the marina breaking up
Others were badly beaten by flailing shade and canopy supports, take them off!

[boatman61]

A berth I had in Cuxhaven, Germany..
I was on a pontoon with the big CG boat tied up on the other side.. we had a spring tide accompanied by a storm surge coming in from the N Sea.. my lines did not break however the pontoon broke free forcing myself and the lifeboat to cut our lines before being swept into the shallows.. exciting stuff.

[Hudson Force]

'much wise advice from Hickers above. I would add the removal of weight from the bow and stern. Maybe taking the dinghy off the davits and well up on shore and dropping the bow anchors and heavy chain straight down in the slip.

I normally don't choose to stay at a marina if I can find a good hurricane hole where I can anchor alone, but if I'm at the marina, I would choose to tie to pilings in a manner that allows the adjustment of lines while under stress.

Let these three photos represent a dock line to a piling:







The top example with the bowline is the worst choice. This offers no opportunity to alter or adjust the line in even moderate winds and it's not the most strength.

The second, with the clove hitch alone, is better but difficult to take in or shorten under load or with the moments between the pull and slack of a rocking boat.

The third with the wraps before the clove hitch can be reduced to the wraps and shortened easily at the moments of slack in a surging and rocking condition.

Of course there can always be a point with the conditions so harsh that it's not wise to be out tending to things, but there's always those times when the wind is still at speeds where you can make important adjustments if you have left yourself the choice.

The same goes for the attachment of lines on board:


No hope for adjustment!


Manageable!

[Pelagic]

Excellent posts Hickers and Hudson

One other tip on lines.... Long and flexible as suggested and put your eyes inboard so that the tail can be used to wrap fixing point then shared with neighbor to counterbalance forces

Marina residents should initiate a major storm plan with Marina Owners to spiderweb as suggested, but to also take the loads off of floating docks which were either not designed for Cat 5 yacht loaded forces, or are now too old to be trusted.

What are the alternate fixing points on board, if you don't trust or do not have enough cleats to handle all the lines?

Any more proactive suggestions for surviving at a marina when you have no choice?

Use of anchors?

[Ken Z]

marinas can be a challange,ie other peoples boats. the quaility of the pilings and decking on the walkways are crutial. a lot of pilings arent tall enough, some are damaged from age and marine growth so when you get the storm surge the boat rises above the top and eats your hull. old tires nailed or screwed with deck screws to the top of the pilings will give some protection when the water rises, in some marinas it may be a do it and not tell. multiple spring lines a must and chafing on chocks. tie to pilings or around the dock even good cleats lag bolted to decking is iffy. most walkways 2 by 6 pressure treated are nailed with 16 d galv. nails that work loose and cause boards to split, when the water rises the boards loosen come loose, float between boats , docks etc. and pierce hulls. my dad lost a boothbay comm. swordfish boat due to that, i was a heartbroken first mate. planking should be screwed to the stringers, deck screws work. none the less its a gamble in a marina, then the water gets low, prop and rudder worries.

[John Oz]

If you are in a Queensland marina you will have been required to sign a "Hold Blameless" agreement and you should find out where you stand with your own insurer.