Official TS Ian/Hurricane Ian thread

[thomm225]

We had our 100 mile RTI Race one year 2 days after a Cat 1.

There was little wind during the race which was on Beach Cats.

The race starts at 7 AM and you head East out going under the Destin Bridge from Leeside Park Ft Walton Beach, FL.

Then take a right at the Sea Buoy and head West then proceed about 60 miles to Pensacola Pass then back East under 3 more bridges.

When we got back in Ft Walton Beach and were sailing through at about 9:30 PM all you could smell was sewage as the sewer plant had either released their load or the water was so high it overflowed.

It was pretty bad and we headed for the shower as soon as we got the boat secured and sails down.

The Cat 4 Ivan though was a whole different deal and it took months to years for the area to recover.

Some folks lost everything while others made out with Insurance. There was a lot of arguments over was it wind damage or flood damage and which insurance you had..

[John_Trusty]

Originally Posted by Messing About

If it’s my home, I stay aboard. Part of my risk management plan is to be present to manage the risk. I know a guy who did the same, in a hurricane hole off of Ft Myers Beach during Cat 4 Charley. I would do the same, if I didn’t have sufficient notice to sail away.

I was with you all the way up until this statement. Preparing your boat to ride out a terrible storm is wise, and the steps you outlined are great. Riding out a hurricane on board, particularly a Cat 3 to 5, is almost suicidal. Tie up your boat, and get a dingy ride or swim to shore - grab an Uber to a hotel. Save your life.

When the storm surge is 10 feet (topping all of the coastal islands and mangroves) and 10 foot breaking waves on top of that pick up boats and toss them up on land in a heap, what will you do to prevent it? Suggest you live through a major hurricane on land and walk through a devastated marina prior to planning to stay in a small boat on the water. Unfortunately, Cape Coral and Tampa are about to produce many examples of wrecked boats, and hopefully no one is aboard them.

[thomm225]

Staying with a sailboat during a Cat 4 .....NO Way that is a good idea

[MicHughV]

I agree with John Trusty, you might manage being bounced up and down for 24 hours, but you will be unlikely to poke your head out of the companionway and won't be able to tell what's going on around you.
Your anchor line could break, your anchor drag.
Another boat could bear down on you, your boat could bear down on another boat, etc, etc.
Try sticking your hand out of a car window doing 130 mph if you want to know what that feels like. I can can guarantee, your hand won't make it.

Live to tell another tale and get off the boat !!!

[MicHughV]

A last titbit of advice for you.

While you may think a hurricane has 130 mph winds, land, buildings, etc, tend to squeeze and compress the wind, accelerating wind speed to phenomenal levels.

This has been studied in depth by various Universities, Governments, etc, using scaled models of towns, etc.

Lest you forget, or if you didn't know this, wind pressure goes up as the square of wind velocity. a 10 mph or more gust increase can and will, provide untenable conditions for you.

Lastly, I've been in this boat, no pun intended, and am as attached to my boat as most sailors likely are, but wisdom prevailed in my case, where I wisely left the boat.

Good luck to ya.....post here when it's all over and tell us how you fared.

[s/v Jedi]

While I don’t think it’s suicidal, there is nothing you can do except during the eye passing over… but that did work for many, so there’s that.

We do what most do: prepare everything as good as you can, then get yourself in safety and ready to act right after the storm passes.

We’ve had many storms, never major damage, never enough to go over the insurance deductible.

Right now we’re on the hard, tied down to four anchors in the ground using 4 cargo straps and 4 halyards. We expect up to 35 kts sustained wind and up to 10” rain so that’s nothing compared to the Sarasota/Tampa region.

Be safe

[Messing About]

Great conversation, which was the intent of this thread. Keep it going.

PS - remember, I’m not there for another year yet and my primary proposed plan, had I been there, was to head west almost two weeks ago.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

While I don’t think it’s suicidal, there is nothing you can do except during the eye passing over… but that did work for many, so there’s that.

We do what most do: prepare everything as good as you can, then get yourself in safety and ready to act right after the storm passes.

We’ve had many storms, never major damage, never enough to go over the insurance deductible.

Right now we’re on the hard, tied down to four anchors in the ground using 4 cargo straps and 4 halyards. We expect up to 35 kts sustained wind and up to 10” rain so that’s nothing compared to the Sarasota/Tampa region.

Be safe

I'm surprised you didn't strip off the sails and deflate the dinghy.

Good luck to you. I feel bad already for the people who are going to lose boats.

[Sail4ever]

Quick question, has anyone else looked at the PredictWind forecast, PWE and PWG disagree completely with the track…..just curious. Please be safe.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I'm surprised you didn't strip off the sails and deflate the dinghy.

Good luck to you. I feel bad already for the people who are going to lose boats.

Our sails won’t let one strip them off… it’s all full battens attached with bolts etc. The dinghy is deflated but it’s a RIB. We have survived a cat 5 with the dinghy like this… only the dinghy seat flew away

35 kts of wind is nothing, the gulf coast will experience much higher winds, plus the storm surge.

[thomm225]

A friend of mine had his Tayana 37 I believe it was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

It was on the hard but got knocked off its stands by wind, water, or both.

The eye of the hurricane passed almost over it.

It was out at a marina on the Redneck Riviera

No insurance

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by thomm225

A friend of mine had his Tayana 37 I believe it was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan it 2004.

It was on the hard but got blown of its stands. The eye of the hurricane passed almost over it.

It was out at a marina on the Redneck Riviera

No insurance

Yes, a direct hit never ends well for boats in marinas or on the hard without measures. Best are trenches for keels and rudders to go in, but the straps work good too. Instead of stands, a welded cradle would be a win.

Multihulls do much worse, because they are so light and can be lifted up by the wind. I have seen a trimaran on top of a tree.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, a direct hit never ends well for boats in marinas or on the hard without measures. Best are trenches for keels and rudders to go in, but the straps work good too. Instead of stands, a welded cradle would be a win.

Multihulls do much worse, because they are so light and can be lifted up by the wind. I have seen a trimaran on top of a tree.

Could have been the 10’-18’ surge that got it. I was told wind so put that……

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, a direct hit never ends well for boats in marinas or on the hard without measures. Best are trenches for keels and rudders to go in, but the straps work good too. Instead of stands, a welded cradle would be a win.

Multihulls do much worse, because they are so light and can be lifted up by the wind. I have seen a trimaran on top of a tree.

And if you have to be on stands and strapped down, given adequate time to prepare, ideally you'd drop the mast(s). That's a massive reduction in windage (and tipping leverage for the wind).

[S/V Illusion]

Hurricane prep is nothing new to any of us who live in Florida. Nothing unique even to those of us who have boats in the immediate path as it’s now predicted as the precautions are pretty well practiced every summer when there is a threat.

The biggest surprise here is how inundated we are with news media types hyperventilating about doom. No lines for gas. No shortages of milk or eggs or anything else. No long lines of people at Costco or getting sandbags. Wind predicted to be offshore so the flood predictions now seem ludicrous.

Hurricane force winds extend only 35 miles from the center. A pretty small and variable target.

As a practical matter, more hurricane prep is required at home than for the boat.