How do we prepare our boat for 50 kt winds?

[Sailor647]

Hola Wise Ones -
Our 40' Norseman 400 is currently tied to a dock in Marina San Carlos, Mexico. (We live aboard.)

There is a tropical depression headed our direction. Forecasts call for 30-50 knot winds. The storm is forecast to last 15 hours - from 00:00 to 15:00 on Wednesday. (07 Sept 2016) About an inch of rain per hour is expected. See windyty dot com. Great graphics.

Never having experienced 50 kt winds before, what should we do to prepare our boat to minimize any damage?

Time is of the essence.

Thanks, folks.

[TJ D]

Double up your dock lines, put lines to the boat/slip opposite yours to keep you from getting driven up against the dock too hard if you get wind from that direction.

Take down your roller furling sails. Either take off the main or at least put lashings over the sail cover. Put loose items on deck down below.

Once you have a better bead on the storm's direction (in a few days), try to position the boat in the most advantageous place that you can in the marina. If it's supposed to blow hardest from the W, for example, make sure you've got some protection from that direction.

Common sense, really. You'll be fine. It's been a while since we've been in San Carlos, but I believe the marina's pretty protected. If you feel like it's not safe enough to leave the boat in the water, you can probably talk them into hauling you, but this shouldn't be necessary for a TS.

Enjoy the rain.


TJ

[Adelie]

If you leave the main on, lay in all the reefs as if you were sailing before lashing down the main. If in the really unlikely event you need to get underway during the storm you are already reefed, just raise the main.


A house is but a boat so poorly built and so firmly run aground you would never try to refloat it.

[Boatguy30]

Barely over 50 knots broke up an entire marina in St Simon's island last week. Was exposed to the south and docks were 20 years old (last time they were replaced by insurance claim)

10 miles away, up a creek, we had only a bit of dock line chafe.

Bottomline is seek a mooring with minimal fetch in the direction of any or at minimum the forecast direction

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Adelie

If you leave the main on, lay in all the reefs as if you were sailing before lashing down the main. If in the really unlikely event you need to get underway during the storm you are already reefed, just raise the main.

The thought of trying to sail out of this marina during a storm and 50 knot winds scares the sh*t outta me.

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by TJ D

Double up your dock lines, put lines to the boat/slip opposite yours to keep you from getting driven up against the dock too hard if you get wind from that direction.

The wind will be coming from the south and west - pushing us away from the dock. So that's good. The boat next to us (a steel-hulled Waterline) is securely tied and has adequate fenders out, as do we.

Originally Posted by TJ D

Take down your roller furling sails. Either take off the main or at least put lashings over the sail cover. Put loose items on deck down below.

Will do.

Originally Posted by TJ D

Once you have a better bead on the storm's direction (in a few days), try to position the boat in the most advantageous place that you can in the marina. If it's supposed to blow hardest from the W, for example, make sure you've got some protection from that direction.

Can't move the boat, as the Marina is full, or will be shortly. Gotta stay in our slip. But, we have good protection from the south wind.

Originally Posted by TJ D

Common sense, really. You'll be fine. It's been a while since we've been in San Carlos, but I believe the marina's pretty protected. If you feel like it's not safe enough to leave the boat in the water, you can probably talk them into hauling you, but this shouldn't be necessary for a TS.

I've seen the yard. Rather be in the marina. LOL

Enjoy the rain.

Yes, love the rain!
Thanks!

TJ[/QUOTE]

[TJ D]

Right now, it doesn't look like San Carlos is going to get that much wind. Things change a lot in a couple of days with these systems. Keep an eye on it, but it's not time to get anxious just yet.

If I remember right, Marty back in '03 or so hit SC pretty hard and there wasn't much damage.

TJ

[Prairie Chicken]

Plenty of good advice already. I'll addlots of fenders! If they start popping, you want plenty! Lots of lines, same deal. Everything off the topsides that isn't bolted down.

If it looks like a direct & severe hit, consider going ashore to somewhere safe before it hits. If you've prepared as well as you can in advance, there won't be much you can do during the worst of it.

Good luck, and please let us know how you fared once the storm has passed.

[Snowpetrel]

+1 to the excellant suggestions above, a few additional thoughts. However if its 50 knots it shouldn't be to bad, but no harm in preparing for more.

Tie lines around the marina itself if possible, not just to the cleats if thats how its set up, they can often pull out. Ideally even run some lines right across the marina to the shore or other fingers incase your finger lets go. You should have long springs pulled tight to stop her surging.

The main, and boom bag is best below as is the furler. If you can't do this, the main can be lashed up pretty small on the boom, and the furler should be unrolled and rolled back up as tight as possible, then have a spinnaker halyard or something wrapped tightly around it in the opposite direction to the sails roll. Wrap the sheets all the way to the base and lash off the drum. mouse all your spare halyards up to the top of the mast, and your lasyjacks. Set up some really good antichafe and put out all your fenders, with weights of some sort (tight coils of rope work)to stop them blowing up. If I was really concerned I would raid a car tyre place for some old tyres and use them as fenders and snubbers.

Saying all this we often get 40-50+ knots down here, and the marinas and boats mostly do just fine without any real extra precautions unless a big sea builds up.

In some cyclones the whole marina has lifted off the posts due to storm surge, but thats normally a pretty extreme event.

All the best with it.

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

Good luck, and please let us know how you fared once the storm has passed.

Will do.

Thanks!

[Snowpetrel]

Also if your stern is facing the wind it might be a good idea to seal the hatches pretty well, or turn the boat to face it.

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[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Ideally, even run some lines right across the marina to the shore or other fingers in case your finger lets go.

Another "scared sh*tless" moment.

If this happens, we're just screwed.

Thanks, though.

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Also if your stern is facing the wind it might be a good idea to seal the hatches pretty well, or turn the boat to face it.

Wind is forecast to be coming directly at our port side, then work it's way to the bow, so current position is good.

And, a sizable cliff between our dock in the marina and the Sea.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Sailor647

Wind is forecast to be coming directly at our port side, then work it's way to the bow, so current position is good.

And, a sizable cliff between our dock in the marina and the Sea.

Sounds good. If its on the beam make sure your masts can't tangle with any boats next to you. Just offset them slightly and you should be fine.

[a64pilot]

Strip any windage off you can, Bimini, dodger etc., you don't want any canvas on the boat.
Chafe protect any lines you can, I seem to like firehose, cause I don't what is better I guess, but even rags tie wrapped on a line couldn't hurt.


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