Storms and living aboard

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Boats are meant to take a pounding.

People are not meant to take a pounding.

Secure the boat and leave to a safer location away from a storm surge.
.
.

+1. Secure boat. Confirm insurance paid. Get outta dodge!

No boat in existents Im willing to risk my life for.

[masonc]

Here's the only way to confidently survive a hurricane:
1. Dig a hole in the ground with a backhoe
2. Haul boat and place in hole
3. Take down mast(s)
4. Remove dodger/bimini
5. Stow everything that can move - wind turbine, bbq, solar panels, dingy
6. Leave for the season
That's pretty much what I'm doing later this month.

[Nikki S]

Originally Posted by Papasail

Appreciate your reply...
I was startled to hear that some run for it... and of course then, that makes you think harder.
Bill

i think the running for it tends to happen if an unexpected storm emerged while on passage......and running for it offers a practical solution. And do you call it running for it if, say, a cyclone is developing and your anchorage/mooring is potentially in the path, and you have time to get outside the zone?

Once our anchored dragged in an unpredicted squall and due to our location we had to upanchor and head for deeper water. we did laps for a few hours waiting for the squall to pass, then re-anchored in the same spot.... I don't suppose that counts as running for it.

Level of skill and Experience definitely effects your decision: We were once in a marina to shelter from a storm when it fell it apart around us due to wave surge. Most of the boats including ours were damaged. 12 of us were trapped on a section of pontoon on someone else's boat for most of the night until we convinced SES to bring an extension ladder so we could climb to shore. Personally i would pick the damage we got to the boat over the experience of being out sailing in that storm, but others at the marina said they would prefer to have been offshore, hove-to in it. I suspect that was because they were more experienced than me and didn't have young kids.

[Mike Banks]

If you can hide in the mangroves with long lines mooring you to sturdy trees from both sides, or one side with kedge anchors abeam on the other, you will probably be OK as long as you stay vigilant and fend off any logs heading your way. Snakes klike to come aboard at such times.

If at sea--head for the deepest water in the safest direction. The waves are smaller the deeper the water.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by masonc

Here's the only way to confidently survive a hurricane:
1. Dig a hole in the ground with a backhoe
2. Haul boat and place in hole
3. Take down mast(s)
4. Remove dodger/bimini
5. Stow everything that can move - wind turbine, bbq, solar panels, dingy
6. Leave for the season
That's pretty much what I'm doing later this month.

And hope the boat doesn't get stuck by suction in the mud and floods out. Mother nature can outdo anything you come up with.

As others have said, secure the boat as best you can, check your insurance and get out of dodge.

Of course, I'm assuming we are talking about hurricane level storms and not an afternoon squall.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by masonc

Here's the only way to confidently survive a hurricane:
1. Dig a hole in the ground with a backhoe
2. Haul boat and place in hole
3. Take down mast(s)
4. Remove dodger/bimini
5. Stow everything that can move - wind turbine, bbq, solar panels, dingy
6. Leave for the season
That's pretty much what I'm doing later this month.

Poor quality pic below is of boats planted on the hard in Corpus Christi TX...in preparation for a hurricane that changed course and missed Corpus Christi

Of course, nothing is foolproof when it comes to hurrianes...a few feet more storm surge than forecast and these boats would have floated.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Rorzech

Keep in mind that Hurricanes gain strength real fast over warm water.
Hurricane Apps follow them right from west coast Africa (Caribbean) and all over the world too.If you keep one eye on weather, you can get a 3 to 6 day jump easy. Which is plenty of time for Flight or Fight decisions.
If you get caught in a hurricane with todays weather gathering capabilities, then it's you're own fault. So don't get lazy about the weather. Stay on top of it . it takes a few minutes couple times a day. Cheers

You are correct that one should watch the weather and that often one can avoid a hurricane. Even with today's weather forecasts, one can still get caught. Hurricanes can and sometimes do change paths without warning. Also, they can speed up and catch one by surprise. If you're capable of making six or seven knots, and the hurricane is making twenty-five knots and changes path, then you may not be able to get away from it.

The Long Island Express of 1938, a category 5 hurricane, surprised everyone since it unexpectedly accelerated to 70 MPH! It also had 18 to 25 foot surges from Connecticut to Cape Cod. Granted, few approach even half of its forward velocity, but still, it can and does happen. In the past few years there have been a few that have had dramatic course changes to include 180 degrees, followed by a further radical changes in course.

[zeehag]

canes move at 10 mph. ts move faster sometimes but count on 10. normal sailboats cannot exceed that, and racing boats donot want to be out there. before organization, as they form, they slow down their forward progress. west coast is all 10 mph sog. down south by tehuantepec they move approx 25 mph. when organized they move 10-15 mph sog.
all canes have been over a week in formation. what is not to get about no such thing as a sudden cane\??? they just do not happen , unless you are oblivious to weather and totally unobservant to changes. watch the sky--no such thing as a sudden storm. the gom t boomers we got "caught" in were 4 hours forming. starts with a disappearance of stars at horizon and works from there..in daylight it is haze. line squalls have specific clouds to watch for. there is no such thing as a sudden storm. they are all very visible. learn the signs. advance signs are in the water around you and sky. you will see the subtle yet noticeable changes as they come on you.
as for rapid intensification of a named event=== there are areas in which this occurs more frequently than others. cabo corrientes is one of these--
in areas wherein r i is not expected--watch and monitor th e conditions., as rapid intensification happens. donot discount it. gonzalo did from ts to cane over st martin in 2014, same year as odile "surprised" la paz gby having audacity to intensify from ts to c4 at cabo corrientes before slamming hell out of cabo and la paz, killing 3 in la paz on the water. from the other side of the hill separating isla navidad from open ocean i heard odile ri...wow.. is impressive. but the residents of boats in la paz were told verbally that they didnot have anything to worry about as it is only tropical storm, max winds expected 79kts..hahahaha they got 130.. oopsy. donot trust voice weather reports . look for your self. words lie. sat fotos donot. the more beautiful the formation , the deadlier can be

[Zven]

Originally Posted by zeehag

... watch the sky--no such thing as a sudden storm. the gom t boomers we got "caught" in were 4 hours forming. starts with a disappearance of stars at horizon and works from there..in daylight it is haze. line squalls have specific clouds to watch for. there is no such thing as a sudden storm. they are all very visible. learn the signs. advance signs are in the water around you and sky. you will see the subtle yet noticeable changes as they come on you...

Thanks, this is really interesting stuff...

What are some good links or resources for learning more about weather signs?

[zeehag]

What are some good links or resources for learning more about weather signs?
Yesterday 10:58


i was lucky to have a farmer sailor teach me, and i watched what he said with deep interest. i started at age 7 learning weather from newspaper graphics and now i watch nhc, eebmike and storm 2k, wunder and some mexican sites.
real time visuals have been experience based. i watch storms approach on graphics and with my eyes. i measure the wind speed of what i am enduring, and watch before and after skies and waters. smells also are important as a storm is able to be smelled hours before it hits. skies become hazy in gom hours before the thunder clouds form. in darkness they obliterate the stars from horizon to directly above. timing that--4 hours between haze with stars and prefrontal winds.
changes in sea state start slowly and build.
the farmers almanac has weather descriptors and sayings. we used to religiously read the entire farmers almanac yearly and then whenever it came out... https://www.almanac.com/content/weat...their-meanings
that is a start. pm me for more info if needed. i find weather fascinating. as much so as emergency and icu nursing, which i loved for over 30 yrs.

[_Drifter_]

Footage of a truly amazing couple on their bowman 47 hunkered down for protection in mangroves during tropical cyclone Debbie (CAT 4-5) this year in tropical Queensland Australia. Follow them on youtube, living the dream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7_YE6gtDE8

[mtompson]

Originally Posted by zeehag

the more beautiful the formation , the deadlier can be

So true, a great way to look at things.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Papasail

"Outrunning a storm": given some obvious lead-time, what speed does a boat need to carry to outrace the oncoming monster?

You probably cannot outrun a large storm/hurricane.

One sailor I knew had his boat pulled at a marina then the storm knocked the boat off it's stands and destroyed it.

Other boats were left anchored in secure spots. One of those secure spots was Bayou Grande in Pensacola. The problem was that the whole floating dock on the navy base got raised over it's pilings and then took out the anchored boats like a huge bowling ball

Here's Ivan from 2004:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hurr...gKzOazcelAqtM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hurr...Jk-zTyK45y8QM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hurr...adey8XooOL3ZM:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=12...I-dlv0TKrYDvM: