Fickle Finger of a Hurricane

[TacomaSailor]

Burnt Store Marina - 90 miles S or Tampa and 22 miles NNW of Ft Myers.

I spent at least 15-hours preparing our boat for Hurricane Irma, which on Saturday was forecast to pass directly over us.

The following Hurricane Tracking Models made the following forecasts for Burnt Store Marina as of Saturday Sept 9 at 11 AM:

NAM The US Navy model that specializes in shoreline/water interactions with the hurricane:
50+ Knots Sunday 1400 to Monday 0400
Gusts over 70 Knots Sunday 1400 to Monday 0200
Gusts over 100 Knots Sunday 1600 to Monday 0000
Eye to pass 40 NM west of Burnt Store Marina

ECMWF The European Model with best history of forecasting Hurricane tracks:
50+ Knots Sunday 2000 to Sunday 2200
Gusts over 70 Knots Sunday 1700 to Monday 0700
Gusts over 100 Knots Sunday 2000 to Monday 0400
Eye to pass 16 NM west of Burnt Store Marina

GFS The premier American Hurricane Modelling system
50+ Knots Sunday 1800 to Sunday 0400
Gusts over 70 Knots Sunday 1700 to Monday 0200
Max gusts 87 knots
Eye to pass 39 NM East of Burnt Store Marina

Even with that forecast many boat owners did NOTHING to prepare their boats for the storm.

AND - not a single one of them suffered any damage!

How fickle can a storm be? Each forecast for five days was predicting stronger and stronger winds and every higher storm surges yet those who ignored the warnings came out just as well as those who heeded the warnings.

The 40' very high end sailboat in the slip to my north/windward had four dock lines that were so slack they all hung a foot under water. They had a full main on the boom and a large inflatable with one loose line around it on the foredeck. Their cockpit bimini was up. And they suffered not a scratch or dent.

An IP40 just two slips to leeward of me had a full dodger and bimini up with a large wind generator and a loosely furled genoa. The main was secured in a Mack Pack.

I guess it proves, as if Hurricane Marty did not convince me, that major storms have a mind of their own and will treat us any way they feel like with little regard for rational thought.

But I am still glad I did all that work 'cause I knew my boat would be safe.

[JPA Cate]

Tacoma,

If all the boats survived, and/or the Burnt Store Marina is in good nick, could you add it to the Florida Marinas thread, please?

Thanks,

Ann