Hurricane Season Options

[sebathon]

Hi all

Just need some help/advice on what my options for the hurricane season could be. Have just arrived in the Carib from Europe and at some stage will have to go back to Aus for some work so need to plan on where I can have the boat. I have heard the obvious option of Trinidad/Grenada but wondered if it may be possible to go up towards USA and keep it in the water? That way avoiding the downside of having the boat stuck on land. Then return for a second season down here.

Is this a normal and safe practice? If so what places should I look at ?

Thanks to all

[Aircool]

I guess it depend where you want to cruise.

If you want to do the bahamas you can leave your boat in Florida (north)

If you want to stay in the carib (guadeloupe, martinique etc...) I would leave the boat in Grenada.

[sebathon]

For me I would prefer to head up to Florida somewhere to be able to stay in the water would also be a benifit. Grenada is not an option for my insurance

[denverd0n]

If you want to keep the boat in the water, in Florida, during the hurricane season, then you need to find a good hurricane hole -- same as you would have to do anywhere in the hurricane zone.


If you want to be far enough north not to really have to worry much about hurricanes, then Florida is definitely NOT far enough. Even the Chesapeake Bay has gotten hit by some pretty powerful hurricanes over the years.


Good luck.

[Balderdash]

Freeport, FL

Good anchorage in Choctawhatchee

[Mystic38]

Florida is most definitely NOT safe in the hurricane season.. it is barely safer than the leeward... in the USA you will need to be much further north to feel comfortable

[mvweebles]

Central Gulf Coast of Florida has much lower frequency of hurricanes than Atlantic of Panhandle. That said, they do happen. Punta Gorda got clobbered in 2004, and St Pete was in the cross hairs of Irma in 2018 with only a slight jog west a few hours before landfall making the difference between catastrophe and inconvenience.

To my thinking, best hurricane hole in Florida (perhaps the entire SE) is the Caloosahatchee river on way to Lake Okeechobee. Decent yards located in Ft Myers on gulf coast. There is a 65-foof fixed bridge which may limit your passage to only one side of the state or the other.

[Sparx]

Lots of boats find their way north to the Chesapeake for hurricane season. Virginia and Maryland are far enough north to miss out on many hurricanes, plus there are plenty of well sheltered marinas. It's a bit far but the chance of storm damage is considerably less.

[Ex-Calif]

I am not an expert but Florida is a long way to go to hide a boat. If I were going to travel that far I would be heading south-west. Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Cartagena. I also understand that Colombian San Andres off the coast of Nicaragua is a good hide out.

My wife (Colombian) and I plan to hide out in Cartagena during hurricane season. We have a condo on the beach there already. Just waiting for retirement day...

[gonesail]

over 300 boats hide out at Brunswick Landing Marina every summer. no mast restriction coming in from the ocean. Catamarans welcome.