Hurricanes...

[osirissail]

I just browsed the PyotrBee link and they do have hurricane exclusion but there are two "boxes" - the TL Dallas company has the old N12 degrees 40minutes which is up at the north end of the Grenadines so Grenada is "outside the box". The other policy by Clico or whatever has the new N11degree limit which is just south of Grenada.
- - Is Great Lakes a broker? or an actual insurance company?
- - You really have to sit down and read and reread the actual policy and all the attachments carefully. The basic policy link from PyotrBee has coverage available for during the Tropical Storm season - but - the Attachment section shows forms that exclude the Names Storms and as stated in them, override anything in the basic policy.
- - The "officially" most unfriendly place in the Caribbean is Trinidad. That statement is comparative only - compared to other northern islands - can maintain that trait only because vast numbers of cruising boat who are insured MUST go there to maintain their insurance coverage.
- - I have talked to many European cruisers who state that their European Insurance coverage does not have a Tropical Storm exclusion for the Caribbean. Whether this is actually true or not, or whether they are only reading the "basic" policy and not the attachments is undeterminable due to the legal language not being in English.
- - We missed the bullet with Anna and Bill is wandering north - maybe looking for a cute intern in Washington.
Good luck.

[PyotrBee]

Great Lakes is the insurance company not the broker. Of course I want a good rate, but also one that can back me up if needed. That os where the rating comes in, do they have the finances etc. They are A rated, which seems sufficient to me.

I've read the policy pretty well and the definition sheet. The insured replacement value is 190,000, with 3800 deductible. Deductible doubles for named storms - seems reasonable to me. Named storms are defined as 150 miles from center, and inclusive of 72 hours after they pass.

"I have talked to many European cruisers who state that their European"

Mine would exclude DR, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico and does not cover blue water. ie I have to say within 200 miles of shore IIRC. But that is fine for what I need these first few years. I asked about adding Cuba and Mexico for example, and they said I can add it anytime. I don't remember the cost, but it was not a lot.

"We missed the bullet with Anna and Bill is wandering north - maybe looking for a cute intern in Washington. "

Now watching the latest Invest.

[ViribusUnitis]

Out of curisoity, what is the problem with taking your boat, and getting the heck out of dodge if a hurricane is coming?

Are you limited by having to store the boat while attending to other items in life?

[PyotrBee]

Where are you going to go when a Hurricane comes? All the viable places fill up quite quickly, winds may not be in your favor. For example, heading to Antigua for me is upwind and into the direction nearly all hurricanes come from.

Head west? Nothing but water....

Head north? Now you are running 90 degrees to direction of coming hurricane and into St Martin which is a bad place to be.

Head south? No where safe without sailing for a week.

And who knows where the hurricane will go? Was Bill going to hit us? One never knows... If one has to make a weeks diversion (going there, staying in a foreign place, getting the boat back) for each possible hurricane?

[ViribusUnitis]

I guess I don't understand.

Isn't that the point of curising? Going someplace far from home, and hanging out for a while. Then again, not doing it, I honestly don't know.

Then again, the more I think about it, it would suck to have to dodge storms all the time, while trying to stay close to one island or another. It just seems like so many many ocean capible boats are lost all the time, cause the jackstands, or what ever are insufficent, why risk it if you can get out of the way.

[PyotrBee]

Ok lets try a hypothetical.

You are currently anchored in Nevis. A Hurricane has formed, Cat 3 east of you. Current predictions have it turning north, but with hurricanes who knows.

Where do you go?

[osirissail]

- - 150 nm from the center of the storm - For T.S. Anna this year that would exclude the whole of the Leeward Islands and all of the Windward islands down to the south end of St. Lucia. Plus/Minus 150nm wide zone is bottom of Grenada to top of Antigua or Top of Leewards south to top of St Vincent. Pretty much all of the central and eastern Caribbean islands.
- - To see the history of all the Atlantic Storms for the last 15 years go to:
Unisys Weather: Hurricane/Tropical Data
Pick a year and then a map of the tracks will come up - 5 degrees of latitude is about 300nm so you can estimate the zone for each storm.
- - A typical average sailboat takes about 30 hours to get 150nm which is just inside the time limit of a decent reliable track forecast of a tropical storm. So it is doable to "get out of the "zone" - if - you are in the north-south area of the islands. If you are in the east-west (Leewards) - as PyotrBee says "Where do you go?"