NE Sailors STORM PREP!!! (Photo Heavy)

[Maine Sail]

We are expecting a tropical storm this weekend in the North East! In our mooring field, with big fetches, this can translate into 3-5+ foot breaking chop/waves.

I'll let the photos tell the story:

What NOT to do pre-storm:

The Buck Knife

The Ginsu

The Ball Tangle and the Hatchet (power boater)

It Slices It Dices

Edward Scissor Hands

The Fillet Knife (note the creative location of the chafe gear WOW)

The Strangler (ball is going to turn blue/strangulation)

Some folks do get it:
Short Scope

Up and Mostly Out of the Way

Please, when high winds are predicted, remove your ground tackle from the bow and check to make sure your pendant is not wrapped around your chain! If not for your boat think of others you may hit when you chafe through..

All photos taken less than 24 hours before a predicted high wind storm that luckily fizzled & never saw winds above 25..

 

[Maine Sail]

Just to drive the point home....

I wanted to follow up the OP with some more photos. A couple of weeks ago I went to my other "office" and was actually working, doing real work not boat work, when a front and resulting thunder storm rolled through.

The wind went from about 5-6 knots to blowing 22-24 steady for about 20 minutes. Now keep in mind that 20 minutes is NOT a lot of time to build up any sort of real waves but if it blew like that for a couple of hours then well... But still it was ONLY 24 knots.

I snapped a few photos to show what can happen in a mooring field with as little as 20 minutes at 22-24 knots. Now imagine if the NOAA prediction for this weekend of 30-40+ is accurate and those anchors are still there?

A Sabre with a Bruce/Ginsu anchor-UP:

And Down/Chop/Saw/Slice:

Looking through the dodger at my neighbors Pacific Seacraft (no anchor on bow):

This harbor can see 5-6 foot breaking waves in 40-50 knots. This is only about 15" to 18" chop in only 22-24 knots and already the Sabre's anchor is impinging upon the mooring pendant.

It takes less than five minutes to remove your anchor!! Spread the word...

 

[Capt.Ed]

I spent most of the day ,Thurs. helping Salem Sound boaters prep for the latest storm . Most knew enough to remove windage ,but none of them looked at the pendent . I suggested to several boaters that they should remove the anchor ,untangle the pendent , and put a sail tie on the headsail. Great photos ,and will try to print and post at a few clubs .Now I am sure I will be asked to take people out to their boats today when it gets rough . I say put the boat away secure for a storm each time . Oh well .

 

[richk]

yup...

We're on a river off Chesapeake. Interesting winds, starting the night before last. We doubled lines.

If my attempts at uploading the images worked, attached are surface pressure maps from 0900Z yesterday and today. Of note is the fact that National Weather Service is indicating it's an extratropical system.

Offshore winds still in the 25 kt range (see east of Myrtle Beach S.C. where there's a sfc report of 25 kts w/sea level pressure of 055 (1005.5 mb).

Rich in Annapolis

 

[sailaway78]

The correct way

I am sometimes surprised that many boat owners will question how much anchor they need, what size rode, and how much chain. Then they end up with a rig that negates all the gear they buy. Having had my boats ride out with no damage, Cindy, Katrina, Gustav, and Ike, I can tell you that if you have not experienced it, you have no idea how much of a beating the ground tackle takes and how much the boat rocks and rolls. During Gustav, I actually saw some of the keel on one snap roll. Make sure that you have nothing to interfere with you anchor rode or mooring. Mainesail went so far as to name them, and he is absolutely correct. The best, heaviest, and strongest lines are absolutely useless without protecting them from anything that can cut or chafe.

 

[Maine Sail]

Nice!

I am sometimes surprised that many boat owners will question how much anchor they need, what size rode, and how much chain. Then they end up with a rig that negates all the gear they buy. Having had my boats ride out with no damage, Cindy, Katrina, Gustav, and Ike, I can tell you that if you have not experienced it, you have no idea how much of a beating the ground tackle takes and how much the boat rocks and rolls. During Gustav, I actually saw some of the keel on one snap roll. Make sure that you have nothing to interfere with you anchor rode or mooring. Mainesail went so far as to name them, and he is absolutely correct. The best, heaviest, and strongest lines are absolutely useless without protecting them from anything that can cut or chafe.

Well said !!!!

 

[LRlovetotravel]

Re: The correct way

UHHHHHHHH, your boat>

 

[Maine Sail]

I don't get it..

UHHHHHHHH, your boat>

Huh??

 

[ITMaster]

Maine Sail. I imagine your greatest fear like mine would be all those examples of the wrong way to moor and the fear that they would come crashing into your boat.

We had some high waters here as well, fortunatelly we rode it all out without any problems. Hope you all did also.

 

[ITMaster]

This is a test

to see if I can upload according to method #1 in your sticky about posting. Looks like it worked, not bad, now I'll work on method # 2, thanks Maine Sail. You got a bit of genius in yourself Bud!

 

[ITMaster]

Here it was still

2 hours before high tide

 

[Maine Sail]

I am cautious for good reason...

Maine Sail. I imagine your greatest fear like mine would be all those examples of the wrong way to moor and the fear that they would come crashing into your boat.

We had some high waters here as well, fortunatelly we rode it all out without any problems. Hope you all did also.

Ummm yes because my brand new 2005 Catalina was hit twelve weeks after taking delivery by a Seafarer 38 that broke free in 40 knots. This event was caused by a cheap non load rated, cast not forged, Chinese made shackle. Two other boats also broke free in that blow both due to anchor chafe.. This accident caused over 20k in cosmetic damage!!!! That one Seafarer hit nine other boats, including mine, with which it bacame entangled in four foot chop..

I was in Florida on business when I got the call..! BTW weather report for the two days I was gone was 5 knots or less!!!

P.S. Great pics!!!!

 

[Franklin]

Some folks do get it:
Short Scope

Up and Mostly Out of the Way

...

Please see my other post about riding out Ike. There is a big problem with this. When the stern swings 50 degrees to port, the line coming off the starboard cleat is going to rub on the bow edge. This will shafe all the way through. IMHO, it is very important to have the rode go off the tip of the bow. If you don't have anchor rollers, then you will have to rig something. If you have a ring halfway down the bow hull, then run a snubber to that to help releave stress on the anchor roller. Also, don't use rode. Best to use aircraft cable but chain is the next best thing. Make sure you only use enough to cover the roller and a few feet more. Connect it via rode on both ends of the cable. Use good shackles and proper anchor splices with metal sheeves on the inside of them. If you do this, and use strong enough lines, you will have no problem riding it out. Just hope other boats to break free and hit you.

 

[Maine Sail]

Franklin..

Please see my other post about riding out Ike. There is a big problem with this. When the stern swings 50 degrees to port, the line coming off the starboard cleat is going to rub on the bow edge. This will shafe all the way through. IMHO, it is very important to have the rode go off the tip of the bow. If you don't have anchor rollers, then you will have to rig something. If you have a ring halfway down the bow hull, then run a snubber to that to help releave stress on the anchor roller. Also, don't use rode. Best to use aircraft cable but chain is the next best thing. Make sure you only use enough to cover the roller and a few feet more. Connect it via rode on both ends of the cable. Use good shackles and proper anchor splices with metal sheeves on the inside of them. If you do this, and use strong enough lines, you will have no problem riding it out. Just hope other boats to break free and hit you.

We are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one with many production boats and when applied in "general terms". The anchor roller on many of the boats out there can not handle these loads. I have also seen one roller bolt snap, or perhaps it just came loose, either way it left the rode impinging on a very sharp piece of the stainless roller.

As for chain or cable it's a good way to cause some serious damage to your boat, I've seen it first hand though the boat was still floating. Your point about using a short piece is spot on as you need as much protection from shock loading as possible and chain and cable offer no shock load potential. If you are on an all chain permanent mooring system using chain or cable, even short pieces, can actually cause more harm than good. In your situation with 5/8 rode shock loading was not a concern. Chain or cable offers the most chafe protection but you will need lots of chafe gear on the chain or cable to save your hull from damage.

The only thing that boat is missing for the storms we see is chafe protection & un-equal length pendants. If he ran it through that anchor roller it would bend like a paperclip in a real storm I know I owned that same boat and the roller was not very robustly designed...

Moving the chocks closer to the bow is a good idea that most boaters will never do because of space and backing plate constraints. Unfortunately many anchor roller are just not designed to handle even 40 knots let alone 110! If you have a totally bomb proof roller I agree but most do not..

These pendants work!
Yale Polydyne Pendants

P.S. Nice write up! I'm curious as to why you didn't use the venerable and "proven" CQR for 110 knots? Tongue firmly in cheek... Those Bullwaga's are beasts!

I use triple chafe protection.

Layer one is the Yale Polydyne black Cordura seen near the chain:

This is layer two:
Hamilton Marine Chafe Guard

Layer three is a length of surplus fire hose. Usually your local fire dept will just give it to you if you let them know you're interested. (sorry no photo)

 

[Tom S]

Re: Franklin..

Very Good pictures

 

[ITMaster]

Ooops

Didn't mean to bring back a bad memory. I have often wonderd what happened to Acoustic and why you would have gotten rid of her so soon. I guess that "now I know the rest of the story." :cry: My condolences for I know that hurt.

Thanks for sharing that with me.

 

[Maine Sail]

Actually

Didn't mean to bring back a bad memory. I have often wonderd what happened to Acoustic and why you would have gotten rid of her so soon. I guess that "now I know the rest of the story." :cry: My condolences for I know that hurt.

Thanks for sharing that with me.

Actually not why we got rid of her. My boat yard is unbelievable and the repairs could not be seen even by me and I'm picky. Maine craftsman are amazing!! Fortunately the damage was all cosmetic and no structural. The labor involved in patching the non-skid by hand filing the pattern back in with jewelers files adds up as does a new rub rail, hand rail, shrouds, stanchions & lifelines..

We sold strictly to not lose our shirts on a new boat purchase. It was my "one" new boat I had to have. Never again!! I managed to walk away after two seasons of use with only a 5k+/- net loss. All in all not a bad deal..

 

[NYSail]

Re: Actually

What about using an anchor sail while at mooring during a storm. I usually use mine and boat stays pointed well. Also, my uncle use to hang a bucket over the bow to keep the boat from bouncing so high in heavy chop....said it helps to keep the anchor / mooring set. Makes sence, but how come I never see either of these helpful devises used?

 

[bffatcat]

storm prep

I always assumed the golden rule for storm prep was: Remove anchors and any other loose gear. That includes removing rolled up jibs on furlers. Make sure your chafe gear is solid. And if youre on a mooring and dont forget to check the mooring lines and chafe gear on boats surrounding you. If they break loose you know whose gonna get hit