Having over-prepared our boat for the passing of H. Irene up the eastern US seaboard this past weekend, and knowing that we were well-located within a Chesapeake Bay marina in the Tropical Storm zone, I decided to stay aboard and observe the behavior of our boat, and those of others within the marina. Here are some real-time observations:
There was a broad range of preparation practices taken by slip holders, from none, to all canvas stripped from the boats, dock lines doubled, etc. The results were predictable. Unless the owner was lucky, or had helpful neighbors, there was an even chance that their boats experienced damage from impact with piles and docks. Some would not have stayed in their slips if not for the effort by neighboring slip holders to better secure the boat prior to the storm.
Loose sails. Without a question the greatest, and most expensive damage came from furling head sails blowing out. Not unfurling, just a loose edge catching the wind, inflating the sail and preceding to turn the entire assembling into an un-workable destruction machine. At some point in the last few years there appears to have been a change in storm preparation that does not include removal of the furling head sail. This may be complacency based on suitable outcomes in past storms. If you decide to leave your furling headsail on the boat you should understand that once it comes to grief there is nothing that you can safely do to stop the process. If you are lucky you will simply destroy your headsail. If you are not lucky, your sheets and the clew will hammer your neighbor's boat, and your powered-up rig will toss your mast across a 80 degree arc - endangering your standing rig and those of your neighbor as they tangle and lock.
The lesson I learned had application to storm sailing. I would not trust a furlinig headsail to work during a 60kt blow on the water. I would take it down, or run up my gale sail. You don't want to even think about taming a loose headsail from the foredeck during a storm.
Bimini's and Dodgers. A large majority of power boaters and many sailboaters left their dodgers and biminis in place for the storm. Most got luck and their canvas came through in one piece. What they probably don't know is that their boats rolled, twisted and tested their dock lines as they sailed about the slip, powered by the extra windage.
Self-bailing cockpits. They don't self-bail if the cockpit is full of leaf bits and sea grass. We experienced 8" of rain in as many hours. Can your cockpit hold that much water without down-flooding the boat?
We were lucky that an anticipated surge did not reach past the Patuxent River, had it done so, the common short dock lines would not have been able to accommodate the rise and fall and many boats would have been damaged.
In the final round of storm prep there was a significant amount of flippant humor around the docks. Comments that it was time for a new bimini, or the head sail was due for replacement demonstrated a general misunderstanding of what can happen, and the extent of possible liability for poor owner storm preparation. Once a boat or a piece of a boat comes loose in a storm, there is little that can safely be done to mitigate the damage to your, and others boats. And who wants to be known as the slacker slip-holder that damaged his neighbor's boats for lack of sensible preparation.
Just some thoughts...
There was a broad range of preparation practices taken by slip holders, from none, to all canvas stripped from the boats, dock lines doubled, etc. The results were predictable. Unless the owner was lucky, or had helpful neighbors, there was an even chance that their boats experienced damage from impact with piles and docks. Some would not have stayed in their slips if not for the effort by neighboring slip holders to better secure the boat prior to the storm.
Loose sails. Without a question the greatest, and most expensive damage came from furling head sails blowing out. Not unfurling, just a loose edge catching the wind, inflating the sail and preceding to turn the entire assembling into an un-workable destruction machine. At some point in the last few years there appears to have been a change in storm preparation that does not include removal of the furling head sail. This may be complacency based on suitable outcomes in past storms. If you decide to leave your furling headsail on the boat you should understand that once it comes to grief there is nothing that you can safely do to stop the process. If you are lucky you will simply destroy your headsail. If you are not lucky, your sheets and the clew will hammer your neighbor's boat, and your powered-up rig will toss your mast across a 80 degree arc - endangering your standing rig and those of your neighbor as they tangle and lock.
The lesson I learned had application to storm sailing. I would not trust a furlinig headsail to work during a 60kt blow on the water. I would take it down, or run up my gale sail. You don't want to even think about taming a loose headsail from the foredeck during a storm.
Bimini's and Dodgers. A large majority of power boaters and many sailboaters left their dodgers and biminis in place for the storm. Most got luck and their canvas came through in one piece. What they probably don't know is that their boats rolled, twisted and tested their dock lines as they sailed about the slip, powered by the extra windage.
Self-bailing cockpits. They don't self-bail if the cockpit is full of leaf bits and sea grass. We experienced 8" of rain in as many hours. Can your cockpit hold that much water without down-flooding the boat?
We were lucky that an anticipated surge did not reach past the Patuxent River, had it done so, the common short dock lines would not have been able to accommodate the rise and fall and many boats would have been damaged.
In the final round of storm prep there was a significant amount of flippant humor around the docks. Comments that it was time for a new bimini, or the head sail was due for replacement demonstrated a general misunderstanding of what can happen, and the extent of possible liability for poor owner storm preparation. Once a boat or a piece of a boat comes loose in a storm, there is little that can safely be done to mitigate the damage to your, and others boats. And who wants to be known as the slacker slip-holder that damaged his neighbor's boats for lack of sensible preparation.
Just some thoughts...
