Hurricane Season

[Bob Rutland]

It's Hurricane season again. What is the best way to anchor out in preperation for a storm. Some say one anchor and lots of scope. Some say two anchors set 45 degrees apart. Some say one bow and one stern. I can't seem to get a consistant answer.Thanks, BobH31 S/V Lady Di II

 

[steven f]

cross tie

Since I'm lucky enough to live on a canal with my boat in my back yard I just cross tie across the canal. I use my pilings on my side and the pile's on my neighbors side, we all pitch in together for these events. When thats all done the party follows. Good luck.

 

[Edward Smith]

I Had Fun With Brett

in 1999. We did cross ties on my 179 and that is what all the other boats did except those that had the deal to take out and bury on the median strip in front of the marina. Corpus Christi has this deal with boat owners with slips in the marina that involves digging a trench on the median, taking the boat out, transporting and blocking it as preparation for the hurricane, then when everything dies down, they put it back in for you. Most insurance companies pay the $400 fee.I made a small error and lost my mast. A lot of the furling jibs were ripped off and we didn't get the worst of Brett, since it turned in south of Corpus.It sounds like you have a handle on it. Make sure you double check all your gear and lines before the winds get high so you don't place yourself at risk and after the winds get up around 40 knots, protect yourself and leave the boat to take care of itself.Good luck.

 

[Bruce]

Good Idea to Prepare

I wish more folks thought about it ahead of time -- its chaotic when one comes at you. I have had good luck with the past 4 NC hurricanes with the 45 degree system. Use a lot of scope and extra chain for the weight at the anchors. I was fortunate that I did not experience a direct hit and do not know of a way to protect against that. Ours were bad enough though. Only problem I had was when the hurricane passed and the wind changed 180 degrees. My Danforth dug back in, but last time my Bruce never quite bit in like I would have liked. If you use a hurricane hole, watch out for other boats - everybody does not swing exactly together. Good luck to us all this season!

 

[Bert Hoernschemeyer]

Hurricane Set-up

I take a somewhat different approach. I like to use two Bruce or Claw anchors with 25-35' of chain and 250' of line. I set the anchors at postions N & S of the boat. Strip the boat of all sails, biminis, etc. to reduce windage. The hard part is getting the anchors up after the storm. Just brimg some friends along to help or lash the line around a winch and winch them up.