Hurricane Holes in the Caribbean

[Paramotorgreg]

Lots of people suggesting Trinidad as a location and this may have been correct before Covid, but in case you hadn’t heard... times have changed - Trinidad is not very friendly to yachts at the moment.

Not only have they:
1. Not opened their borders to allow any yachts to enter for any reason for hurricane season;
2. They have been refusing to allow owners whose boats are currently stored there to return and move them;
3. They have also instructed all foreign yachts with owners on them to leave forthwith.
So for the moment at least you can cross Trinidad off your list.

Last season we went to Bonaire for a few months and then on to Curacao. Coming back is a hard slog. If you are from US then you could head for USVI, we are not and since BVI is closed we went for St Maarten and that’s a tough journey. Even with a relatively favourable weather window we motor-sailed for most of the trip and it took us almost 5 days in a 50ft boat. My wife said she won’t do it again and we are staying in Grenada this year.

[sailcrazy]

Interesting comments RE: Nanny Cay, BVI. It is truly a beautiful place, and a very nice marina. But when they showed it to us, as we were touring and making our initial hurricane decisions, the hard stand area was right on the water's edge, just a foot or 2 higher than the water, there were no mangroves or other protection, and they relied on sand screws only (vs massive buried concrete beams) ....really nice place with lots of services, but that was enough to convince us to keep looking! Maybe the situation there has changed? But when the storms did hit a couple of years ago, we rode thru both and our only loss was the masthead wind-dex!. Do your due diligence...To each his own!

[contrail]

Originally Posted by sailcrazy

Interesting comments RE: Nanny Cay, BVI. It is truly a beautiful place, and a very nice marina. But when they showed it to us, as we were touring and making our initial hurricane decisions, the hard stand area was right on the water's edge, just a foot or 2 higher than the water, there were no mangroves or other protection, and they relied on sand screws only (vs massive buried concrete beams) ....really nice place with lots of services, but that was enough to convince us to keep looking! Maybe the situation there has changed? But when the storms did hit a couple of years ago, we rode thru both and our only loss was the masthead wind-dex!. Do your due diligence...To each his own!

Interestingly, the boats that were in that area you describe, all cats, did pretty well. i thought they would be toast, so it was quite a surprise. I didn't see a single sand screw pulled out, either. Most of the cats that were lost or damaged were either in the water or the work yard. But many monohulls were tipped over, in sequence, in the storage yard, but not due to sand screw failure.

[sailcrazy]

Then how did they tip....strap failure? What were they strapped to? Something had to have let go, or they would not have tipped.

[sailon46]

Spanish waters Curaçao for me

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Paramotorgreg

Lots of people suggesting Trinidad as a location and this may have been correct before Covid, but in case you hadn’t heard... times have changed - Trinidad is not very friendly to yachts at the moment.

Not only have they:
1. Not opened their borders to allow any yachts to enter for any reason for hurricane season;
2. They have been refusing to allow owners whose boats are currently stored there to return and move them;
3. They have also instructed all foreign yachts with owners on them to leave forthwith.
So for the moment at least you can cross Trinidad off your list.

Last season we went to Bonaire for a few months and then on to Curacao. Coming back is a hard slog. If you are from US then you could head for USVI, we are not and since BVI is closed we went for St Maarten and that’s a tough journey. Even with a relatively favourable weather window we motor-sailed for most of the trip and it took us almost 5 days in a 50ft boat. My wife said she won’t do it again and we are staying in Grenada this year.

Curacao-St Maarten is maybe a bit too high to point. But you can allways take port tack for a day or two for comfort. I don't think it would delay the passage at all not following the straight rhumb line

[VChild]

Originally Posted by Paramotorgreg

Lots of people suggesting Trinidad as a location and this may have been correct before Covid, but in case you hadn’t heard... times have changed - Trinidad is not very friendly to yachts at the moment.

Not only have they:
1. Not opened their borders to allow any yachts to enter for any reason for hurricane season;
2. They have been refusing to allow owners whose boats are currently stored there to return and move them;
3. They have also instructed all foreign yachts with owners on them to leave forthwith.
So for the moment at least you can cross Trinidad off your list.

Last season we went to Bonaire for a few months and then on to Curacao. Coming back is a hard slog. If you are from US then you could head for USVI, we are not and since BVI is closed we went for St Maarten and that’s a tough journey. Even with a relatively favourable weather window we motor-sailed for most of the trip and it took us almost 5 days in a 50ft boat. My wife said she won’t do it again and we are staying in Grenada this year.

Curious what month you made the passage and what were the average wind conditions and sea state?

[CaptainDana]

We just got back from Antigua. Friends are keeping boats on the hard in Nelson’s Dockyard. Trinidad & Tobago is South and we know more than one who have chosen to put their boats up on the hard there.

Good Luck,
Dana and Pam Paterson
SV ONE LOVE

[argonauta1]

Strange: No one mentions Trinidad. TTYA and TTYC used to be great places for hurricane season. Good flight connections too. Venezuela used to be but now too much crime and politically generated economic issues. Yes, Western Caribbean is too far to return to the Eastern Caribbean every season. Curacao is great for storage but few cruising options. Good staying option though at Shelter Bay Marina in Colon, Panama then cruise the San Blas and Bocas.

[CaribbeesYC]

I ran Caribbean operations for a large charter company so I know a little bit about this subject. There are places in the BVI where you can haul your boat safely and have it secured properly. Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor does a good job and has specially constructed hurricane "pits". We put all of the boats we couldn't haul in Paraquita Bay in Tortola and secured them with four lines and sand screws behind the mangroves. Unless you're already planning to sail to the Western Caribbean as one poster stated it's quite a beat to get home. Grenada is also a good option. Feel free to contact me if you like, as I have very good contacts in the area.

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

Strange: No one mentions Trinidad...

No one except for posts 6, 11, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28, 31, and 38.

[Rimica]

Inside the insurance box but considered hurricane holes for centuries are Nelson yard in Antigua and Marigot Bay in Ste Lucia. Also, I was in Ste Lucia's Rodney Bay marina and , at the time, they were offering hurricane insurance if the boat was stored there for the season.

[rupertfb]

The subject of 'where to hide your boat' is a lottery - but a better historical understanding of routes that hurricanes have taken will allow you to reduce your risk. This is an interesting read: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/

[CaribbeesYC]

Marina du Marin, Martinique the largest in the Caribbean, has a very elaborate hurricane plan and is geographically advantaged... Also many good services available on island. Keep an eye on activity here: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=2

[GoinSumWare]

Originally Posted by VChild

Thanks for all the responses. I hadn’t considered the long trip against the trades back to the Eastern Caribbean from points further west. Central America would be further west than my home state of Florida so is probably out of the question. The ABC islands look to be about 500 miles downwind from Grenada. Seems like the trip from Bonaire to Grenada would be long and miserable. Although not 100% hurricane safe, Grenada might be the best alternative for me especially if insurable there. I know all about Hurricane Ivan. After hitting Grenada, it made it all the way to my home town in Florida with devastating consequences. Interesting comment about the safe line being 10 degrees north and running through Southern Grenada according to the insurance companies. Unless Google Earth is wrong, Southern Grenada is 11.59 degrees north. It is the south shore of Trinidad and Tobago that is 10.0 degrees north. But if insurance companies are OK with Southern Grenada then that’s great. A quick view from Google Earth shows Trinidad and Tobago to be pretty industrial and lacking any areas with significant numbers of yachts in the water or hauled out. On the other hand, Clarkes Court Marina and Boatyard in Southern Grenada looks like a great place to haulout. Rows and rows of large catamarans and monohulls. Their website gives the impression it is a first class marina. Anyone have any experience with them?

Your assessment of Grenada is correct. We were there for last hurricane season, and are here now for this one. Ironically, last year a number of boats headed south from here to Trinidad to avoid a forecasted hurricane... but it swerved to the south. With regard to Trinidad, as you may be aware there are many boats there with owners who have not been allowed to go get them for well over a year due the government's insane Covid policies affecting the maritime industry, so it's a good idea to take political considerations into account along with weather and other things.