You Fla. sailors

[sailaway78]

Looks like we all have lucked out on Debby. Haven't heard for sure how much tidal surge your going to get, but looks like the winds are not going to be in the killer category, so just lots and lots of rain. Hope all of you are safe and secure. And I don't want to wish anything bad on anyone, but better there than here.

 

[Sailm8]

Seems like it has been raining for weeks. You kind of get used to the sun.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I don't want to wish anything bad on anyone, but better there than here.

That's a normal human reaction. I'd hate to wake up to an earthquake or volcano.
Checked the lines and dropped the biminis on the sailboat and the pontoon, took down the umbrella on the deck, stowed anything that could become ballistic and tossed the cat up on the roof.
If it picks up and heads this way I'll close the shutters and lay on some (beer) staples.

 

[Florida sail]

To think, I have a daughter with the name of Debby. The main sail is at the loft getting a stack pack installed so that's one thing i don't have to worry about. Lots of wind and rain here in St Pete but all appears to be well with Serenity. Several boats were blown off moorings during the night in Boca Ciega Bay.

 

[MrUnix]

Rain? Haven't seen any.. just really, really high humidity!

Cheers,
Brad

 

[SV_Island_Fever]

Tides are running 2 to 4 feet above normal. So far my boat has done ok. I can't get to it because all the access roads to the private dock I'm leasing are under about 18 inches of water... I was able see it from across the cove and it is still securely tied down and looks ok. The boat in the slip next to me lost its mast from the spreaders up. A tornado touched down just 150 yards to the east of my slip...

Wish us luck... Debbie is scheduled to be with us through Thursday...

 

[Terry in Naples]

Naples Debbie report

Here in Naples we have had a total of 3 inches of rain by my rain gague. WE had some gusty winds yesterday in the 40 - 50 catagory but only for couple minutes as the leading edge of a rain band went over me. Then normally 20+ sw winds. WE have a high tide but no water in my yard from the canal and I am on Naples Bay. Beach erosion is bad and the latest report was Naples had 121 turtle nests and it appers over 100 have been compromised by high water. (not good for them)
There were 3 reported tornadoes but they were mostly a mile or two inland or along the everglades sanctuary where it meets the gulf. So also inland some. These are not like the midwest tornadoes. they drop a tree or two but I came here from Illinois where they know how to grow a tornado.
We are predicted to continue rain bands but no one is expecting it to get bad enough to board up or remove canvass off boats. (I did get a gromet pull out in the 50+ wind) but nothing serious just sun shade repair.) As you go north to Ft Myers bech erosion is worse and tides stronger, then worse as you go up I hear. Still watching but it is a non predictable storm. Good luck to all of you. Terry

 

[zeehag]

stay safe and dry and may your boats be in good shape..

 

[njwtech]

My boat has been pinned against the dock by the high winds out of the south now for most of a week. Winds running 30 knots or more gusting to 50 or 60 at times. The boat has been slammed repeatedly into the dock posts for several days. I have gone through all my fenders and had to go buy more (who knew fenders were so freakin' expensive?). Every morning I have to go to the dock and replace all the fenders that exploded overnight. The dock posts and the rub rails are having a duel. The tides are running about 3 feet above normal. The canals are overflowing onto the lawns at high tide. My dock is under water at high tide. This thing better move on soon...

EDIT - I should have mentioned I am in a canal in Port Charlotte on the north end of Charlotte Harbor - just off Alligator Bay. The winds are pushing all the water up Charlotte Harbor into Alligator Bay and it is overflowing into the canals throughout Port Charlotte.

 

[RECESS]

We have got a ton of rain in Carrabelle Florida. The marina has been on the very high side for three days. My dock has been underwater since Saturday. Doubled my dock lines and one of them chaffed through, added another. We had a 74 mph gust but sustained 40 mph winds for a few days. The evacuated St George Island, the bridge does not do well with high winds. We decided to come home for a few days in south Georgia last night in case the rods got closed. At 11pm last night we got turned around in Sopchoppy as the river there had overflowed. State road 20 was also closed. We had to drive back to the coast as they were allowing cars through Panacea, but the roads were covered in water. It smelled like river water so perhaps the Ochlocknee was probably overflowing. It was fun being in the storm, but driving was a pain.

 

[Merlin Clark]

My boat has been pinned against the dock by the high winds out of the south now for most of a week. Winds running 30 knots or more gusting to 50 or 60 at times. The boat has been slammed repeatedly into the dock posts for several days. I have gone through all my fenders and had to go buy more (who knew fenders were so freakin' expensive?). Every morning I have to go to the dock and replace all the fenders that exploded overnight. The dock posts and the rub rails are having a duel. The tides are running about 3 feet above normal. The canals are overflowing onto the lawns at high tide. My dock is under water at high tide. This thing better move on soon...

EDIT - I should have mentioned I am in a canal in Port Charlotte on the north end of Charlotte Harbor - just off Alligator Bay. The winds are pushing all the water up Charlotte Harbor into Alligator Bay and it is overflowing into the canals throughout Port Charlotte.

I don't know how well these will hold up to constant battering but they should help some: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=50304&subdeptNum=50343&classNum=50349
I know that old fire hose helps a lot but hard to find these days.

 

[njwtech]

I don't know how well these will hold up to constant battering but they should help some: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=50304&subdeptNum=50343&classNum=50349
I know that old fire hose helps a lot but hard to find these days.

I thought about those pads when I moved my boat to that dock. The boat on the next dock to me (a Hunter around 36' I think) had them on the dock posts. Yesterday his rub rails tore them up and pulled the nails right out of the post. I went over and put some of my fenders on his boat to keep it from getting more damage until he could go and buy some fenders. I think the biggest reason was that the tide came in so high that his toe rail/rub rail was able to get above the pads and just scrape them off the post. I think in this constant wind that goes on and on though, the narrow pads concentrate the force in too small an area. On my boat at least glass would be flexing behind the rub rail. I saw a guy on the other side of the canal with a really neat idea that I hadn't thought of. He has a heavy beam on the outside of vertical fenders. The beam rides against the dock posts, and the load is spread along as many fenders as you put between the beam and the boat. I'm definitely going to have something like that ready before the next blow.

 

[MrUnix]

I've seen folks who take those bumpers, cut them into smaller pieces and put them on vertically instead of horizontally along the dock.. spaced about a foot apart and kind of wrapping down around the dock edge. Nothing for the rub rail to get hung up on and allows for tidal movement. Another thought is to use screws instead of nails as they will hold much better when the weather gets rough. Of course, the best solution would be to rig spring lines so the boat never reaches the dock, but as we all know, the ideal solution is not always possible

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Those at west marine are vinyl covered foam I believe.. I have seen the same style of bumper made out of solid rubber in various stiffnesses. Don't know where you can get them, but they are out there somewhere and would probably hold up better and longer than the foam ones.

 

[SV_Island_Fever]

Great news.. The S/V Island Fever is doing well. Flood waters were down enough that I could reach my sailboat to check for Damage... She was is good shape.. I had not left the automatic bilge pumps on, but she only had a little bit of water in the bilges... Nothing to worry about... We really were lucky... Conditions here are greatly improved...

I've got lots of work to do so I am ready for next time... This one popped up out of nowhere...
This should be a wake up call for everyone... Check your gear....

 

[Sumner]

..... I saw a guy on the other side of the canal with a really neat idea that I hadn't thought of. He has a heavy beam on the outside of vertical fenders. The beam rides against the dock posts, and the load is spread along as many fenders as you put between the beam and the boat. I'm definitely going to have something like that ready before the next blow.

Sorry to hear about the problems. We are fine up on the stands so flooding/wind hasn't been a problem, but have seen more rain than we want to.

The beam on the fenders is what I was trying to explain to you. I'd for sure do that and just leave it that way. It is hard to get the fenders to work on the pilings even with the normal tide/current changes, we tried with not a lot of success for a couple days at Everglades City and then I got materials to go the other way as explained above, but we only anchored after that. I wonder what if would cost and if the dock owner would go with a couple pilings on the other side of the boat?

Good luck,

Sum

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[Merlin Clark]

Sorry to hear about the problems. We are fine up on the stands so flooding/wind hasn't been a problem, but have seen more rain than we want to.

The beam on the fenders is what I was trying to explain to you. I'd for sure do that and just leave it that way. It is hard to get the fenders to work on the pilings even with the normal tide/current changes, we tried with not a lot of success for a couple days at Everglades City and then I got materials to go the other way as explained above, but we only anchored after that. I wonder what if would cost and if the dock owner would go with a couple pilings on the other side of the boat?

Good luck,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

A fender board?
http://www.thevirtualboatyard.com/2009/02/the-lost-art-of-fender-boards.html

That should work!

 

[njwtech]

The beam on the fenders is what I was trying to explain to you

Sorry, I didn't picture it right when you talked about it. I was thinking of the beam on the dock and couldn't see it. Now I get it. The beam being attached to the boat moves with the boat on the tide. Fenders between the boat and the beam gives cushioning for the boat. I just have to figure out how to keep the beam from eating up the landlord's dock posts.

 

[Sailm8]

Sorry, I didn't picture it right when you talked about it. I was thinking of the beam on the dock and couldn't see it. Now I get it. The beam being attached to the boat moves with the boat on the tide. Fenders between the boat and the beam gives cushioning for the boat. I just have to figure out how to keep the beam from eating up the landlord's dock posts.

Most guys use carpets scraps but I've seen pool noodles work too