Hurricane Harvey Slamming Texas

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

No, Tetepare, I think your presumption is incorrect. I think it is a very small percentage of owners who might think that.

However, here are some of the reasons I thought of. People are too far away, for work, family help, or vacations. Some would be so delayed they would have trouble getting to the marina to take care of their boat, and getting away to safety. Some will have had some kind of life event happen to them where they're just not thinking of preparing their boat. It wasn't hurricane season when they left the boat there, and they didn't think they should have doubled up their lines.

It is the way of life.

And now, the issues are different. It is about survival of people not toys.

Ann

I can see being far away as I'm in Brisbane and the boat is on Lake Ontario. However I'm sure if a serious weather event were pending my boat would be stripped and better secured without my asking.

[zeehag]

y'all do realize that monster is still intensifying and will until landfall, dont cha?
is a brisk cane freshening.
the sound of the intensifying furycame winds is a very unforgettable noise.
this thing is gonna be in the area a coupla days and dump 35 inches of rain in some places. halleluya

[LEOCAT66]

HARVEY Just made CAT 4, and is still 60 miles out.

[zeehag]

ok folks i do hope all y'alls are prepped for a 5 cat dance.
damn. whoda thunk that lil mayhem would grow big balls.
i hope you all survive nicely. i knew the damn thing was too pretty for a 3.
hang on sloopy...

[shyguy68]

Harvey sure is looking like the wonder hamster he's named for....growing and growing by the minute.....

Those boat brokerages in kemah may end up having salvage sales after this if they get hit.....

[jimbunyard]

The storm seems to be going ashore now, after (luckily) failing to slow as forecast by the NHC. Let's hope it continues inland as much as possible as quickly as possible...



Corpus Christi may have been spared a bad hit; the storm looks about equidistant between Matagorda Bay and Corpus.

Some of the more recent local reports:

Corpus 18.36 LST

45.49 kt WNW (offshore) wind
Water level....2.83 ft observed, prediction 1.37 ft

Port O'Conner 18:54 LST

51.32 kt East (almost dead onshore) wind
Water level....3.43 observed, prediction .466

Matagorda City 19:00 LST

32.07 kn East (also almost dead onshore) wind
Water level 2.5 observed, .27 prediction

Although there will be wind damage, it appears likely that the rainfall and flash flooding potential is the most serious overall threat at this time.

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ma...a&region=Texas

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/st...tml?id=8773701

[transmitterdan]

It may not get far inland. Predictions tonight are that it will crawl up the coast with the eye wall just ashore. Some are forecasting it will remain a hurricane for 48 hours. That's hard to believe.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I can see being far away as I'm in Brisbane and the boat is on Lake Ontario. However I'm sure if a serious weather event were pending my boat would be stripped and better secured without my asking.

You would hope so. I would have no hesitation to go on a boat and secure things.

[SSgtPitt]

Guys, our dream is in a slip at the Corpus Christi Muni Marina. We're secured with 8 lines in the new section of floating docks. I'm the last boat on the T head, out there all by myself. We removed all the soft covers and there's nothing else on deck to grab the wind. We're at the mercy of nature. We have a trip planned for a really long Labor Day weekend to install solar and lee clothes. FK!!!

[zeehag]

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1BdxYWPqQvAGX


just a little entertainment from a stormchaser in rockport. seems this beastie will hang out for a while maintaining cane status. it is still intensifying. pooor teejass is taking a likking but good. is still not a patricia, nor is it a katrina, but it is a beastie.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by Alex_V

I kind of wonder what would you do if you happen to be sailing, or living on a boat in a location of a predicted hurricane path?

Do you have enough time to get the f out? Or your best option is to batten down the hatches and get out to stay with friends or in a hotel far from the storms path? And leave most of your belongings behind.

Serious question, what would be the best / safest thing to do? I guess how protected your marina or mooring will play a difference, but only to an extend. Heading out for open water is probably not a wisest thing.

We get quite a few hurricanes in Bermuda. Some we see coming days away, some not. I've been on board for one. I would not go to sea if I had any other choice. I prepare the boat, leave it on the mooring and take shelter on shore. Everyone else I know in Bermuda does the same, with one or two exceptions.

My (36') boat has been through about 8 hurricanes now. One in a marina, the other 7 or so on a hurricane mooring. The only structural damage was from the marina experience. I would much rather be on a mooring (a very very strong one!)

Preparations:

- remove all canvas. Headsail, mainsail, dodgers, Bimini, everything. You want to reduce windage to an absolute minimum.

- lash the helm if it's on a mooring, the standard helm friction 'lock' may not be enough.

- be wary of extra lines. One big line is better than two skinny ones because the skinny ones can twist and chafe against one another. My mooring bridle consists of a single 2 1/2 inch nylon line with thick-walled exhaust hose for chafe protection. This goes to a U-shaped chafe-protected 1" line that goes through a loop in the end of the 2 1/2 inch line and then loops over each of the bow cleats. That way the load is always spread between the two cleats. Additionally I have a 1" line that goes from the thick 2 1/2" pennant to the mast in case the bow cleats break or rip out of the deck.

- batten down hatches. Well. The seas will be picked up by the wind and driven like a pressure washer under the hatch seals.

- if you are in a marina, use extra lines and lots and lots of fenders, secured so they cannot rise up and onto the dock where they do no good. Do not be tempted to tie lines to your chain plates - you will likely rip them out of the boat. Make your lines as long as possible and use nylon or some other stretchy line, not your spare jib sheets, halyards etc. Centre-tie in the middle of two berths if there is enough space. Make sure the dock cleats are up to scratch. The bolt-on ones made by structuremarine or techno are not designed for this. Double them up and spread the load, otherwise they rip right out of the track.

Your enemy is not the wind per-se, it's the sea that comes with it. Waves cause shock loads and batter topsides. Storm serge lifts the boat several feet higher than the mooring or dock may have been designed for.

Good luck everyone.

[zeehag]

the location in which i weathered patricia gets skimmed by each and every named event created on west coast mexico. i chose that locale and will again as it is a true cane hole.
you can plan in advance your storm haven.
i saw patricia coming for a week. i was outside the cone of death, yet we were hit by eye and aft portion of storm. was a bitch.
but i was in a safe location and sustained minimal damages.
\there are way s to plan ahead and succeed.
these beasties are not sudden nor are they without many days advanced warning

[pbmaise]

Originally Posted by Alex_V

I kind of wonder what would you do if you happen to be sailing, or living on a boat in a location of a predicted hurricane path?

Do you have enough time to get the f out? Or your best option is to batten down the hatches and get out to stay with friends or in a hotel far from the storms path? And leave most of your belongings behind.

Serious question, what would be the best / safest thing to do? I guess how protected your marina or mooring will play a difference, but only to an extend. Heading out for open water is probably not a wisest thing.

For Yolanda I hunkered down with 14 lines to shore including using 100 meters of chain to make four lines. I had three days and three crew to help me prepare. Blades off wind generator, tie down solar panels, and left hatch way open to equalize pressure. Luckily winds in my Marina were modest around 50 mph.

Yachts based on lack of prep will be toast.

Here is one report.

848pCDT/948pEST: Port Aransas mouth of channel entrance sea wall sustained 114mph, gust 131mph.
830pCDT/930pEST: Aransas Pass 125mph gust.


For a rather small event I was not in a Marina and located a large high ridge to anchor behind. We kept engine on to reduce load on the anchor. Winds mostly blew over us, however every now and then we were hit by down drafts. This got old and we noticed a large freighter was also using the ridge. We upped anchor and pulled along side them. That proved acceptable, however, I must point out waves were less than 10 ft.

Currently on a mooring where typhoons are just once per decade. If one comes I plan to head South.

Now if I was in Corpus Christie with my vessel, we would certainly have headed out and traveled East. There is nothing to hide behind, and 14 lines to shore would have all snapped off in a storm surge. I have 70 tons of buoyancy and no fittings like cleats would survive that loading.

When tied to a floating dock instead of shore, the vessel and floating dock will both rise in a surge and lines will be less of a problem. However, you place all your trust in a typical concrete filled metal piling. If the piling is not anchored well or if the surge lifts over the piling then ...

I think even small boat owners fail to understand the extreme loads when winds reach over 100 mph. Some internet calculators will allow you to input area and wind speed to calculate load. It can be tens of thousands of pounds force.

What is a few gallons of diesel versus the price of your yacht?

Of course if you haven't been keeping your engine in top condition.... Hotel and pray.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by zeehag

the location in which i weathered patricia gets skimmed by each and every named event created on west coast mexico. i chose that locale and will again as it is a true cane hole.
you can plan in advance your storm haven.
i saw patricia coming for a week. i was outside the cone of death, yet we were hit by eye and aft portion of storm. was a bitch.
but i was in a safe location and sustained minimal damages.
\there are way s to plan ahead and succeed.
these beasties are not sudden nor are they without many days advanced warning

Absolutely - they are forecast in advance, but owing to the notorious unreliability of track modelling and the potential for sudden changes in strength, you don't always get what you expect. A few years ago I was caught out by a hurricane while at anchor. The forecast was for a light brush (35 knots) from a passing distant tropical storm. We got 119 knots before the anemometer at the weather station blew away. Moral of the story is, watch that weather forecast like a hawk when one of these things is in the neighbourhood and make sure you are somewhere secure - often easier said than done.

[alansmith]

Heh Zee, u called the 'cane a bitch... excuse me ... since it is named Harvey it would be more appropriate to call it a bastard. Patricia would therefore be a bi-itch. He he.
U know I just teasing u. Zee u really come alive for big storms. He he he.