STORM Preparation in Marinas

[Pelagic]

Destructive storms test every Marina and yacht to survive whatever weak link that storm exposes of the Marina and the way the yacht is secured.

What are the tips, tricks you have learned to prepare for that 100 year Storm?

[44'cruisingcat]

Choose your marina wisely.

For cyclones in Queensland, a marina in Hobart, Sydney or Lake Macquarie could be good.

[nigel1]

Talk to the locals, and properly assess the marina yourself.
My boat is currently moored in a small harbour which saw 80 kt winds over the winter, but the breakwater design and surrounding buildings kept the worst of tbe seas and wind at bay.

As my work keeps me away from the boat for extended times, I am quite choosey as to where she lies.

[Pelagic]

Sometimes you don't have a choice as your resident marina is good 99% of the time, but poor maintenance, apathetic neighbors and storm surges expose your yacht to dangers we hope to minimize.

Let's make up an example.

Old Marina, badly maintained
Floating finger docks either side
Cleats loose and failing
Many pilings have lost their guides
Exposed to high wind but not swell.
Many yachts stored with absentee Owners

What are the tips and tricks we can share?
,

[dwedeking2]

In Hurricane Matthews the finger docks rose above the pilings and started to come apart (some finger docks actually broke free). For some lucky reason when I was prepping I had one line left. I decided to run it from an opposite side stern cleat to the piling itself. When the dock jumped the piling it got tangled with that line and that finger dock had the least movement sideways out of that whole area.

[a64pilot]

No question at all for me, I will abandon a Marina.
I have done considerable thinking about this, even if you had the perfect Marina, walk the docks and look at they way some boats are secured, many will stay exactly they way they are now. Are they prepared to ride out a severe storm, or will they likely break loose and damage well secured, properly prepared boats?

[Spindrift NH]

My marina suffered heavy damage during two squalls and hurricane Mathew last year. After witnessing the damage from the squalls there was no way I was going to keep the boat in the slip during the hurricane. I had a good anchor plan that paid off, no damage to the boat. Had I stayed in the slip I would have had severe damage by the two absentee owner cruisers that ended up in my slip!
My worry is that we get more squalls while I'm at work and unable to attend, or fend for , my boat.

[MarkJ]

Cleats break because they are just cast molded not forged and/or turned.

They break.

So you must have lines passing right under the dock and back to you, or a very weight reduced web of lines on the cleats.

[Jason Flare]

I left a Liberty Landing Marina for Irene and Newport YC and Marina in Jersey City, NJ for Sandy. In both cases other boaters in the marinas said I was crazy to go up the Hudson and anchor, but I will never leave my boat in a marina if I can help it. I may get off the boat after I anchor it for safety's sake but IMHO marinas are not optimum places for a boat in a storm.

[kmacdonald]

The marinas should kick everyone out before the storm hits. Gives the marina a good chance of surviving and the boats a better chance. A win-win situation. Unfortunately the wise tales prevail and boats are still improperly anchored just like they have been for hundreds of years. They didn't survive then and they don't now. Some still think the next time will be different.

[Sailmonkey]

Where we are, the marina pilings are high enough for some major surge. And almost all of the places that could be used to hide the boat are too shallow.

So, I collect line. In the event I need to prep the boat for a storm, I'll weave our boat to our neighbors boat and every dock cleat that I can see, as well as around the docks.

[JohnRob27]

Not about boats at Marinas. But about boats and storms.

In June 2008 the well known "Pasha Bulka" storm hit Newcastle area.

I live approx 500m from Lake Macquarie and was shocked to see the number of boats that had broken away from their moorings and were up on the shoreline. There would have been at least 20 just across the lake from where I live. Let alone the rest of the lake, Newcastle, Central Coast and surrounding areas. I was not a boat owner back then. Thank goodness!
I am guessing poor maintenance lead to them breaking away and others not.

[Pelagic]

As dwedeking, sailmonkey and MarkJ noted.. . there are tricks that help.

If your marina resides in a Cyclone/Hurricane/Typhoon region, you can be facing 10 to 15 warnings per year and those marinas will not kick you out as you have no better place to go!

Also they know that if they did,... they would have no resident customers!

The tricks are to identify the weak links and back them up with better structural mooring points.

Cleats are for normal conditions and convenience....

Can you Create a web of strong lines between the pilings high above the potential surge height?

Breast lines tied directly across to the flexible strong lines between pilings, so that they acts like a shock absorbers in severe Gusts.

Spring Lines fore and aft to individual pilings... again high up to avoid being jammed by rising finger float has worked well for me.

IF you are afraid that Pilings may be topped by surge, have diver choke ground chain on pilling underneath finger dock at bottom and measure for highest forecast height as a last resort to keep you from being driven onto the beach.

Also, if cleats and floating dock structures are such that you don't trust them in this extreme condition....use the pilings to take the strain and loosen or remove your normal lines to weaklink cleats and floating dock in the hope that the floating docks survives without the stress of the boats surging back and forth in the gusts.

If you can achieve at least a 4 point secure fastenings to finger pilings port and starboard, then the finger dock can break up and float away with your less cautious neighbour and your boat has a better chance of survival.

More thoughts on adding ground tackle at the slip and relieving pressure on yachts inboard cleats to come, but this is the type of tricks/tips I am hoping we could discuss.

Sometimes you have to make the best with what you have.

[RTB]

QUOTE=a64pilot;2360171]No question at all for me, I will abandon a Marina.
I have done considerable thinking about this, even if you had the perfect Marina, walk the docks and look at they way some boats are secured, many will stay exactly they way they are now. Are they prepared to ride out a severe storm, or will they likely break loose and damage well secured, properly prepared boats?[/QUOTE]

It really depends. I doubt you would have fared well (abandoning a marina) in the Georgia/Carolina area when Matthew hit. But, choose your marina carefully!

One Texas friend that was here for Matthew, paid for the empty slip next to him. Not only could he tie the boat off in a good position away from the dock, he didn't have to worry about another boat breaking loose. I wish I had pics, because he did a masterful job prepping for a major cat 4 storm.
We spent days prepping here at the marina! I checked every boat for crap stored on deck (and removed said crap), inadequate dock lines, and generally looked for anything that could blow around. We secured all chairs, grills, and tables at the top of each dock. Had people move their cars to the highest ground in our parking areas.

For me, I doubled my new dock lines, and stripped the boat and did fine. My wife and I stayed here at the marina sending updates on FB during Matthew, despite this being a mandatory evacuation area. We didn't lose any boats. A few had damaged canvas and some sails unfurled and flogged themselves to death, but that's what happens if you don't bother to prep for storms. We had one cleat break on one dock with a 55' motor cat tied up. A huge amount of windage! Luckily, his spring lines held, and no damage was done to that boat. My biggest concern was surge. We were lucky, and squeaked by with about 3 1/2' to spare (before topping the pilings).

We are bullet-proof here on three sides. South is our danger zone. We got back-doored 3 times last year. Hermine was the bad one. Passing west of us coming from the Gulf of Mexico, we were on the bad side. Hurricane Hermine was downgraded to a TS by the time it got here in Georgia, but 55-60 MPH winds from the south gave us 5-6' waves coming up the river from the Sidney Lanier Bridge 2 miles away. Dock one is still being repaired, although we have been able to operate at 100% since the storm.

As a full time cruiser living on our boat 365 day a year, I hope others study and understand weather. Where will the winds come from and where will I be safe? Every storm will be different, and we must be able to make a plan that is smart and will protect our boats and our own lives. This is a huge tax on educated thinking! Get it wrong and suffer the consequences. It's you, your boat, and nature.

If you choose to hide in a marina, do your homework! Don't be lazy. Prep by stripping the boat. Put good dock lines on. Check your neighbors boat and buy him some new lines if you aren't happy. Check that your insurance is up to date, and go away for a few days. Make sure your automatic bilge pump is working, especially if you have leaky ports and hatches. Close your thru hulls, especially the galley sink. Make sure your scuppers are clean and free from debris (hair especially). The cockpit can fill, and flow inside the boat through the boards (happened to me with TS Bill in Texas a couple of years ago, but I was on board and solved that quickly. Could have easily sunk my boat).

Hurricane season is just something we have to live with. Be smart. Be prepared. Have a plan. If you don't have a plan, sell the boat and move back to land.

Ralph

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Choose your marina wisely....

That speaks volumes. Move the boat as needed. Many are not survivable.

In most areas you can survey and find which have survived with little damage. Old ones, way up the river. Often just being around a bend makes all the difference.

And just add lines. They should be positioned to share the load logically, such as a full (4) set of symetrical springs.