I am one of those who replay events over and over trying to decide what I did right and what I did wrong. Have been replaying my Hurricane preparations a lot over the last week. My boat, a Hunter 54, did survive Isabel with only very minor paint wear. But that was due as much to luck as to any of my laborious preparations. First problem was the temporary slip I was assigned (I am normally on a mooring) was way too small for my boat. Only had 1' clearance between piling on port side, and the bulkhead to starboard. Docked bow first to face east, which left about 20' of the boat beyond the aft piling on port side (pic attached). Was not able to cross stern lines because did not have an aft piling on port side. Ran spring lines fore & aft from starboard stern cleat, and used port stern cleat for both port and starboard stern lines. Ran port line to aft piling two slips to north, and starboard line to bulkhead piling, as would normally rig when crossing stern lines. Hung 3 fenders with double 4' fender boards on both sides. That was Tuesday. Returned on Thursday and stayed aboard until 4am Friday morning, tending lines during worst of the storm. Marina made me leave at 4am due to severe flooding and concern for my safety. So boat was on her own for next 8 hours. By the time I left, I had added extra lines on starboard at bow and stern, since wind had clocked around to southeast (on my starboad bow) by then. When got back to boat, found 2 bow lines snapped, and 1 stern. I had used a combination of laid (stranded) nylon lines and braided lines. Most were 5/8". The only ones that broke were the stranded lines. The water level probably rose another 2 feet after I left the boat, and at that time there was no slack whatsoever on all the lines to windward (3 bow, 3 stern). The lines that broke were the ones run the shortest distances, with less length to stretch. But am wondering if braided lines are better for severe tidal range situations, where stretching is needed. In retrospect, think I should have declined the slip and had her hauled. Or, at least put boat stern first in slip to give more clearance between pilings & bulkhead at the narrower bow section. Feel incredibly lucky that the one remaining bow line did not break. Another thing I could have done was to move lines to upper part of pilings. I never imagined the water would get so high as to be above tops of the pilings. Would love to hear thoughts of others about how to tie boat in fixed slip when tidal flooding expected. How do you strike balance between too loose and too tight? Even as I write this I realize too loose is better than too tight, if too tight makes lines break when water rises. Better to rub pilings than have boat break loose. Definitely a learning experience. Eric Lorgus s/v Impulse 83H54
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Thanks Eric
Just goes to show that carefull concideration and planning makes all the difference. Very informative.
Just goes to show that carefull concideration and planning makes all the difference. Very informative.
Doubled lines
As a friend pointed out, doubled lines don't work right unless they are exactly the same length, esp. if short like you say. They need length to stretch and equalize. And braided lines are a bit stronger if I remember right. Wrote a long post under Herrington Harbor subject about other lessons. Pretty hard to locate fenders when boat changes position like that; padding the pilings up high may be the only way. Also saw many boats hitting dock as boat rose and got 'looser' in slip on the way up. Agree with you that extending lines past next slip is good, allows for more vertical movement within slip. Sounds like you did very well for a difficult space.
As a friend pointed out, doubled lines don't work right unless they are exactly the same length, esp. if short like you say. They need length to stretch and equalize. And braided lines are a bit stronger if I remember right. Wrote a long post under Herrington Harbor subject about other lessons. Pretty hard to locate fenders when boat changes position like that; padding the pilings up high may be the only way. Also saw many boats hitting dock as boat rose and got 'looser' in slip on the way up. Agree with you that extending lines past next slip is good, allows for more vertical movement within slip. Sounds like you did very well for a difficult space.
Eric, Why not stay at mooring?
Did the marinia force you into a slip? Was the mooring unsafe? One boat at our marina, who had the room, actually went out of the slip about 50ft, placed two anchors and then ran two lines from stern to pilings. Came through fine. Jim S/V Java
Did the marinia force you into a slip? Was the mooring unsafe? One boat at our marina, who had the room, actually went out of the slip about 50ft, placed two anchors and then ran two lines from stern to pilings. Came through fine. Jim S/V Java
slip
I would think you are right. I would think that a slip would be the most dangerous place to be. I dont think I would even consider one with 1 inch clearence even in good weather. Glad you made it Kevin
I would think you are right. I would think that a slip would be the most dangerous place to be. I dont think I would even consider one with 1 inch clearence even in good weather. Glad you made it Kevin
You did great
Considering what happened at Havre de Grace, you did just fine. Down the bay on the York River the water rose so high that there were whitecaps in the parking lot. Luckily, many of us were able to move to the new floating docks just installed by York River Yacht Haven. That unquestionably worked well. Trouble with hauling is twofold. Our yard is on a hill, and sure enough two boats got blown over. Down in Smithfield, the water rose so high that it floated a dozen boats away. (See related post from Smithfield owner.) Lesson learned: find a floating dock, rest easy.
Considering what happened at Havre de Grace, you did just fine. Down the bay on the York River the water rose so high that there were whitecaps in the parking lot. Luckily, many of us were able to move to the new floating docks just installed by York River Yacht Haven. That unquestionably worked well. Trouble with hauling is twofold. Our yard is on a hill, and sure enough two boats got blown over. Down in Smithfield, the water rose so high that it floated a dozen boats away. (See related post from Smithfield owner.) Lesson learned: find a floating dock, rest easy.
I'm curious..
How did the marina "make" you leave? Was the sherriff there to arrest you or something? I'm not being smart here, but really interested. I think it would be illegal for them to cut your lines because you refused to leave. I dock at a small marina and about 6 of us on my pier rode the storm out aboard. Just wondering what to look out for if/when I move to other marinas. On some of the beaches, I know they were asking for the nearest realitives from people who were refusing to go. Guess that was in an effort to scare them into leaving.
How did the marina "make" you leave? Was the sherriff there to arrest you or something? I'm not being smart here, but really interested. I think it would be illegal for them to cut your lines because you refused to leave. I dock at a small marina and about 6 of us on my pier rode the storm out aboard. Just wondering what to look out for if/when I move to other marinas. On some of the beaches, I know they were asking for the nearest realitives from people who were refusing to go. Guess that was in an effort to scare them into leaving.
Marina's Decision
Staying on the mooring was never an option -- marina called me at work and offered me two options -- leave to find a Hurricane Hole on my own, or stay and be put in a slip. Marina is on western shore of the Susquehanna Flats, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River. When the river floods, lot of debris comes down and can damage boats on moorings. Also need to clarify my original post -- clearance in slip on either side was one FOOT not one inch. Good point about making sure doubled lines same length. I had my 3 bow lines all set to different pilings -- of the 3, the 2 shortest were the ones that broke. Appreciate the comments. Eric Lorgus s/v Impulse 83H54
Staying on the mooring was never an option -- marina called me at work and offered me two options -- leave to find a Hurricane Hole on my own, or stay and be put in a slip. Marina is on western shore of the Susquehanna Flats, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River. When the river floods, lot of debris comes down and can damage boats on moorings. Also need to clarify my original post -- clearance in slip on either side was one FOOT not one inch. Good point about making sure doubled lines same length. I had my 3 bow lines all set to different pilings -- of the 3, the 2 shortest were the ones that broke. Appreciate the comments. Eric Lorgus s/v Impulse 83H54
Snap Decision
Don: I was on an end of a row, so beside me (to the south) was a parking lot. At 4am, a marina worker drove out on a backhoe and told me it wasn't safe to stay aboard any longer. He offered me a ride back by extending the front bucket to my boat -- I stepped onto it and held on. He didn't threaten me, just told me it wasn't safe. Be it sailing or flying, there come times when others, be they dock workers or ground controllers, tell the captain what they think he should do. It's always up to the captain to accept or reject the advice. In this case, I accepted it. I had no experience with this kind of flooding, nor could be sure what would happen when the water rose above the pilings. I realized that at some point, if it rose too high, all of my lines would part, and the boat would blow free. Upon later reflection, I believe that is what the marina worker's concern was. High tide was at 5:30am, and when I left the marinea at 7am, the water was still rising. No one knew just how bad it would ultimately be. Had it kept rising, eventually many boats would have snapped their lines and blown free. As further insight into how concerned I was about the flooding, well before 4am I had already donned my SOSpenders. Ending up in the water that night was a genuine concern. Responding to someone else's comment about floating docks, I ran into a sailor at my marina who had sought shelter at Baltimore's Inner Harbor Marina, which is a floating dock. He said the water rose the docks ABOVE the tops of the pilings. The only thing that kept them from floating away was some kind of collar beneath the floating docks, that kept the dock riding on the piling. When the water began to lower, there was a frantic scramble to realign the docks so that they would ride down the pilings again. Maybe the Hurricane Hole would have been the best option. Eric
Don: I was on an end of a row, so beside me (to the south) was a parking lot. At 4am, a marina worker drove out on a backhoe and told me it wasn't safe to stay aboard any longer. He offered me a ride back by extending the front bucket to my boat -- I stepped onto it and held on. He didn't threaten me, just told me it wasn't safe. Be it sailing or flying, there come times when others, be they dock workers or ground controllers, tell the captain what they think he should do. It's always up to the captain to accept or reject the advice. In this case, I accepted it. I had no experience with this kind of flooding, nor could be sure what would happen when the water rose above the pilings. I realized that at some point, if it rose too high, all of my lines would part, and the boat would blow free. Upon later reflection, I believe that is what the marina worker's concern was. High tide was at 5:30am, and when I left the marinea at 7am, the water was still rising. No one knew just how bad it would ultimately be. Had it kept rising, eventually many boats would have snapped their lines and blown free. As further insight into how concerned I was about the flooding, well before 4am I had already donned my SOSpenders. Ending up in the water that night was a genuine concern. Responding to someone else's comment about floating docks, I ran into a sailor at my marina who had sought shelter at Baltimore's Inner Harbor Marina, which is a floating dock. He said the water rose the docks ABOVE the tops of the pilings. The only thing that kept them from floating away was some kind of collar beneath the floating docks, that kept the dock riding on the piling. When the water began to lower, there was a frantic scramble to realign the docks so that they would ride down the pilings again. Maybe the Hurricane Hole would have been the best option. Eric
Hurricane holes
FWIW, I had two boats to deal with for Izzy, a Cal 27 and a Catalina 320. Our marinas require you to remove the boats. I stripped both boats and moored the 320 in a remote creek on a previously prepared bouy. It has a helix screwed about 10' into the bottom and a 3/8 stainless chain and I used two 1/2" anchor rodes with 150' out plus 25' of 5/16 proof coil chain. The Cal went on the hook in the mouth of the harbor (to avoid the inevitable idiot in the pack around the more protected waters). The Cal was secured with a 250' 5/8 rode plus 25' of 5/16 chain and a 22# Delta Fastset plus a 15# Danforth, 15' of chain and a 3/8" rode. The only damage to either boat was the loss of the Danforth due to the rode being fouled by a cypress limb and it chafed in two.
FWIW, I had two boats to deal with for Izzy, a Cal 27 and a Catalina 320. Our marinas require you to remove the boats. I stripped both boats and moored the 320 in a remote creek on a previously prepared bouy. It has a helix screwed about 10' into the bottom and a 3/8 stainless chain and I used two 1/2" anchor rodes with 150' out plus 25' of 5/16 proof coil chain. The Cal went on the hook in the mouth of the harbor (to avoid the inevitable idiot in the pack around the more protected waters). The Cal was secured with a 250' 5/8 rode plus 25' of 5/16 chain and a 22# Delta Fastset plus a 15# Danforth, 15' of chain and a 3/8" rode. The only damage to either boat was the loss of the Danforth due to the rode being fouled by a cypress limb and it chafed in two.
Sounds like u made the right one...
At least it sounds like it to me, only you can make that final decision. Here, we had a plan to help each other cut our lines, with hatchets if necessary, and anchor outside the piers, go to another boat, etc. We even had a few lines running down the piers so we could get a handhold if necessary. We were incredibly blessed and lucky because our only problem was with the water, and that wasn't much of one. A few boats round here sank, but I suspect that was probably due to inattention way before the storm ever developed. We're in a cove, and we figured if we had to jump from the boat we'd get blown to shore somewhere. We were not taking undue risks either, although some folks might think staying anywhere near a boat in a hurricane might be crazy. Here, we all discussed riding the storm out at anchor from the beginning but decided the risk was too great to stay aboard if something went wrong. Moreover, we couldn't really be close to each other so help would not be available. It was quite something to see the water rise as fast as it did. Around 3:00 the water rose about 5' in what seemed like 30 minutes. Some of the guys were walking (kinda water walking) the piers early that morning where the water was shoulder high. I didn't get in till it receeded to waist high, but then when we began to notice the gunk in the water, we started using dingys. The water around here is still incredibly nasty. You guys up at HDG are exposed. I rode through there on Sunday, not gawking, but actually looking at a boat for sale. Not many places up there that aren't exposed. Next storm (or for a fun weekend) head down our way, off the West River between Annapolis and Galesville. Lots of hurricane holes here up the various rivers here. We had probably 15 boats anchored up here, included one 150' or so mega yaght. They really had it tough from the looks of things.
At least it sounds like it to me, only you can make that final decision. Here, we had a plan to help each other cut our lines, with hatchets if necessary, and anchor outside the piers, go to another boat, etc. We even had a few lines running down the piers so we could get a handhold if necessary. We were incredibly blessed and lucky because our only problem was with the water, and that wasn't much of one. A few boats round here sank, but I suspect that was probably due to inattention way before the storm ever developed. We're in a cove, and we figured if we had to jump from the boat we'd get blown to shore somewhere. We were not taking undue risks either, although some folks might think staying anywhere near a boat in a hurricane might be crazy. Here, we all discussed riding the storm out at anchor from the beginning but decided the risk was too great to stay aboard if something went wrong. Moreover, we couldn't really be close to each other so help would not be available. It was quite something to see the water rise as fast as it did. Around 3:00 the water rose about 5' in what seemed like 30 minutes. Some of the guys were walking (kinda water walking) the piers early that morning where the water was shoulder high. I didn't get in till it receeded to waist high, but then when we began to notice the gunk in the water, we started using dingys. The water around here is still incredibly nasty. You guys up at HDG are exposed. I rode through there on Sunday, not gawking, but actually looking at a boat for sale. Not many places up there that aren't exposed. Next storm (or for a fun weekend) head down our way, off the West River between Annapolis and Galesville. Lots of hurricane holes here up the various rivers here. We had probably 15 boats anchored up here, included one 150' or so mega yaght. They really had it tough from the looks of things.
Fran, Floyd, Bertha, Bonnie, Dennis, Izzy
You know I'm getting kinda tired of the NC Hurricane Magnet.. The one lesson I've learned is that anchoring out, (with the right equipment) is the best way to go.
You know I'm getting kinda tired of the NC Hurricane Magnet.. The one lesson I've learned is that anchoring out, (with the right equipment) is the best way to go.
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