High winds in the NE today.

[Captain Larry-DH]

I have several protected 'hurricane holes' in this area of the bay, unfortunately they are all a couple hours away. Plus, the nearest and best are on big islands out in the bay. Out there you can find 360 degree protection with few other boats to contend with. Most have some mooring options but because you'd need to take a ferry home, I to stay with the boat.

Most of these big fall storms come through pretty quickly. It's usually a 24 to 36 hour period that the clocking winds will make our harbor dangerous to stay in. I stayed on a mooring in this one, a late October gale, a few years ago. I didn't like it. , but the mooring was more than up to it.
View attachment 171011

That doesn't look like fun. Also, not good when a genoa opens up like in your picture.

 

[TomY]

Gale winds clawing roller furled headsails slowly out and destroying them seems to be a common casualty. That storm above was right around Halloween. Several years before I hightailed it to a 'safe' harbor in front of another Halloween Gale. That one was a corker. For a day and a half it seemed to chase me from mooring to mooring in Gilkey Harbor off Isleboro Island. Gilkey, I decided is not as snug as it looks. Those winds got a piece of a roller furled headsail loosened on a nearby boat. I thought I heard gun fire from the cabin until I realized it was the sail snapping. It was destroyed within a half an hour. Luckily the mooring held that boat, and mine too.

A memorable Halloween night:

 

[Rick486]

Gale winds clawing roller furled headsails slowly out and destroying them seems to be a common casualty. That storm above was right around Halloween. Several years before I hightailed it to a 'safe' harbor in front of another Halloween Gale. That one was a corker. For a day and a half it seemed to chase me from mooring to mooring in Gilkey Harbor off Isleboro Island. Gilkey, I decided is not as snug as it looks. Those winds got a piece of a roller furled headsail loosened on a nearby boat. I thought I heard gun fire from the cabin until I realized it was the sail snapping. It was destroyed within a half an hour. Luckily the mooring held that boat, and mine too.

A memorable Halloween night:
View attachment 171012

Tom, why not Pulpit ? Usually empty moorings way in.

 

[TomY]

Tom, why not Pulpit ? Usually empty moorings way in.

That is a first go-to, Rick and I usually sail there (nearly every wind works to head East in the bay) in just over an hour. BUT, it's one of the most popular hurricane holes. Last hurricane, Irene - which was well publicised, I headed to Pulpit. I found space to anchor but there were a lot of boats in there and all the moorings were already occupied.

The important key I have found is, don't wait too long for shelter from a named storm or big gale.

Irene gave us 50 knots which I hung on two anchors, no problem as there was little fetch to deal with. The best is Cradle Cove inside of Pulpit but all good places in there were taken.

My harbor, Rockport was cleared out as most 'yachts' were hauled for that storm. We're just a boat.

 

[Rick486]

That is a first go-to, Rick and I usually sail there (nearly every wind works to head East in the bay) in just over an hour. BUT, it's one of the most popular hurricane holes. Last hurricane, Irene - which was well publicised, I headed to Pulpit. I found space to anchor but there were a lot of boats in there and all the moorings were already occupied.

The important key I have found is, don't wait too long for shelter from a named storm or big gale.

Irene gave us 50 knots which I hung on two anchors, no problem as there was little fetch to deal with. The best is Cradle Cove inside of Pulpit but all good places in there were taken.

My harbor, Rockport was cleared out as most 'yachts' were hauled for that storm. We're just a boat.

Ha! When we lived up in Surry we had a house on Patten Bay with deep water at our dock. At the time we had Silverheels, our P 39 yawl. When we first moved in there I went shopping for a mooring and ended up with a piece of granite about 8 ft x 3 ft by about 1 ft thick. The guy I bought it from was a lobsterman (about everyone up there is) and he had a big pile of 2 in stud link chain, yes 2 in. The links were huge. So I took about 30 ft of that and around 30 ft of 1 in chain, then a pendant. So the guy delivers the whole kit to the Surry town dock and picks it up with his boat at low tide so the incoming tide floats him off. So then he meets me off the dock in my dinghy he drops the whole thing by cutting a line off his stern. Impressive seamanship. Shoulda seen that boat jump out of the water. Never had to worry about storms as Patten Bay is pretty well protected, and the mooring was enormous.
Funny you should mention that "boat/yacht" thing. One of the challenges up where we lived was getting hauled for the winter. Very few yards around there at the time who could handle Silverheels. I almost had to go all the way to Hinckleys over in SW Harbor, but finally a little boat yard in East Blue Hill agreed to give it a shot. They had a very rickety old travel lift and an even more rickety crane for the masts. Those were the days...
Rick