Cruising the east coast during hurricane season

[LetsGo2]

Hi all!
This is our first hurricane season and I'm realizing we're looking into a lot of places to stay too late (apparently we should have been doing it in March while we were getting moved onto the boat).

Other than maybe getting a 1-week haul out for bottom work, we'd prefer to travel up to New England and anchor out in various places as we usually do. Is this feasible if we stay north of Cape Hatteras? What happens if a hurricane moves farther north? Would we be able to find a spot to tie up in?

TIA!

[LetsGo2]

Additional info: We have a 48' catamaran, currently in Abaco, Bahamas until the end of May, looking to go as far north as Maine.

[hlev00]

We live in and cruise New England. Mostly in the areas around Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts but have spent a lot of time between Block Island and Maine over the years. First, be sure your insurance will provide the coverage you need. Beyond that kind of hope for the best. There have been a few big storms in recent years (Bob (1993), Sandy, Irene). "Most" come later in the season and "Most" deteriorate to a tropical storm by the time the reach New England Waters. Also "Most" effect a relatively small area and move pretty quickly once the get up here. Obviously Sandy being the exception. There are a number of places to hide out but getting hauled is pretty unlikely. And of course a lot of the protected hidey-holes fill up quickly. If you want to haul there aren't as many boat yards that can haul a cat, and even if they can, if hauling is the general plan, boat yards usually put their customers at the front of the line.

Come on up. It is beautiful cruising up here. Just be sure you have the right insurance and it is paid up.

And pick up the book "The Coast of Summer" by Anthony Bailey. It is a bit dated but has wonderful descriptions of sailing between Fishers Island and Provincetown.

[Captain Bill]

I've left the Bahamas numerous times in late May or early June and worked my way up the coast. How easy it will be to hide from hurricanes depends on how tall your mast is. South of Hatteras there are not a lot of good hiding places if your mast is over 65 feet. Fortunately early season hurricanes are usually not very strong and you can probably find something that will work. A nice big anchor helps. Basically if you have more than a 65ft mast you will be limited to ports that can handle large ships. At the Chesapeake or north you will not have a mast height problem except in New Jersey, but it's pretty easy to bypass and you should be have more than enough warning of a hurricane to avoid getting caught there. There are many well sheltered small bays without much fetch where one can hide from hurricanes in Maine which are fortunately very rare. We typically don't leave Maine until the third week in Sept. and work our way down the coast Arriving in North Carolina in mid Oct. One must watch the weather of course and avoid a schedule. We often leave Beaufort in Mid November but by then hurricane season is pretty much over. Our mast is only 63 ft so it's a bit easier for us to take the ICW if necessary than someone with a mast over 65ft, but we prefer to go off shore if the weather will cooperate.

[hlev00]

P.S. Lots of places to anchor out once you get to Atlantic Highlands. In fact anchorages or moorings are more the rule up here, especially for a big cat.

[donradcliffe]

Lots of good anchorages in the Chesapeake. My favorites for protection are Fishing Bay and Sassafras River, but it gets too hot after mid June, and its then time to head for New England. Have hidden from hurricanes up the Essex river and in Smith Cove near Castine. Both hurricanes did not make a direct hit on my anchorage, and were non-events.

[davil]

not sure how to deal with storms anymore
weather is too unpredictable.

continue cruising and do your best.


Dorian is a name Nova Scotians will remember for years to come. The hurricane hit Halifax on Saturday, Sept. 7.2019

2021 I was busted by Ana, formed on May 22, on my way to Bermuda.


fronts develop suddenly and extreme powerful.

Leaving this week, my goal is to clear NY before July, from July 4th on the area is too congested and temps too high for me.

[gs41escapade]

Check your boat insurance carefully. When we picked up our new boat in Florida, the summary sheet on the insurance said "Navigation Area: Atlantic Coast". Sounds good.

But when looking at the fine print on one of the riders which was not provided with the policy binder -- I had to call and dig to get it from the insurer, the coverage was actually limited to "North of Morehead City, NC". Many of the insurance policies will have a clause that the boat must be in Morehead City or north of there during hurricane season (or the premiums will be much higher).

[MicHughV]

Interesting...
I got the snot kicked out of me leaving Bermuda, also around May/June.

[LetsGo2]

Thank you all for the advice and info!

Our insurance just says we need to be north of Cape Hatteras so that gives us a lot of places to explore.

[LouK]

I’d second the Chesapeake although we really don’t fret about hurricane season here until maybe its time. You can find plenty of good places to hide out near Annapolis such as Whitehall Creek, the Rhode River, Wye River, etc. Would rather be i these parts rather than Long Island Sound and parts north.