Possible Hurricane this weekend. Need Advise.

Stu Jackson · Aug 26, 2015

pat,

start here: http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/boaterprep.asp

Good luck, stay safe.

woodster · Aug 26, 2015

take all the sails off a stown them somewhere..secure all the lines and anything loose that you don't want blown away...then when you tie the boat off double the lines along with using spring lines if possible..tape up the ports and hatches with good gorilla tape the wide kind and make sure your bats are charged to the max and pumps are in good working order ...and if you have neighboring boats make sure they are secure and can not break loose and blow into your boat...its always nice to help others with this ...there is a canal that crosses fl by that lake ...not sure what the name is right now but that would be the best place to hide from a storm ......

Jackdaw · Aug 26, 2015

Chafe is your #1 enemy.

Delezynski · Aug 26, 2015

Add chafe gear to ALL lines. THEN, add more chafe gear!!
Short video; https://youtu.be/9wyzlZdTiHo
and; https://youtu.be/Rd0WOj8CTuk

Been through 3.

Greg

Don S/V ILLusion · Aug 26, 2015

After doing all the above, make sure your insurance premium. Is paid and review whatever precautions are stipulated like requirement to haul, etc...

Gunni · Aug 26, 2015

Like Woodster says, spend time now getting your canvas off, your foresail off and the main furled and lashed. Determine your options to have the boat hauled. Watch the track and be prepared to haul the boat early. If you wait too long the list will be full. My insurer pays 1/2 of the haul for named storms.

kloudie1 · Aug 26, 2015

Just re-stating.. I use double lines and arrange so that the surge can be accommodated. It is crucial to have all canvass and sails off, including roller furl sails. . Unplug shore power and stow cord. All power off.. all thru-hulls closed.. anything valuable should be removed.. anything heavy needs to go home too. If ya have a dink and engine, you may need those to get back to her, take those home. Fix all halyards to keep them from drumming.. If you are expecting a big rain, tape (outdoor proof duct tape) the front and sides of the companionway slider to keep water from blowing in. If you have grates over the cockpit scuppers, take 'em off. The shredded leaves will plug them and may allow the cockpit to flood.
We may yet get some of that storm. Good Luck to ya.

EDIT always do boat first so you don't get involved in the crazy traffic that happens around the waterfront as panic begins to talk to people.

EDIT2 Ya know that "Snake on a Boat" thread.. when ya get back after the storm, kinda be mindful of ..critters..

shemandr · Aug 27, 2015

Do yourself a favor and keep updated on this page:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/084828.shtml?tswind120#contents
You will notice that you have around a 40% chance of tropical force winds and 10 - 20% chance of 50+ knots of wind - as of now.
Since you can have several of these events in the next month or so, I would consider not going all out prep. Definitely have a plan. And take windage off your boat and do some of the rain defense detailed above. But it's not time for the spiderweb thing unless you want to practice. Haul the boat? Save that for a higher probability of hurricane force or greater wind. Don't wear yourself out on this one. My 2 cents.

coolista · Aug 27, 2015

This has all been great counsel. Nobody mentioned which way to point your vessel in a canal: toward the ocean to accommodate the initial storm surge and oncoming winds, or away to respond to storm surge recession (might be much faster flow on the east coast of Fl than the oncoming surge), & the storm's trailing winds... pretty sure most would not say 'crosswise' in the canal, so orientation is significant. I didn't think of the potential of critters, so thanks for that one too.

Gunni · Aug 27, 2015

One of the strange things about these situations is the herd mentality that comes along. I have seen guys sit around the marina gamming themselves out of their anxiety, drink a few beers, have some laughs and then go home group convinced that there isn't anything to be worried about. This storm isn't going to be a big deal. Sometime about o-dark thirty their deck junk blows off followed by their dodger. A few hours later the foresail unwraps, flogs their neighbor's boat before filling, heeling the boat and rolling it into a pile, or capsize. They spend the rest of the season in the company of adjusters and repairmen. Their dock mates mock them.

Certainly the opposite occurs, the nervous prep that gets the boat ready and then the storm fizzles out, or veers. But they certainly sleep better at home. And they exhibit responsible ownership. Insurance is a last step backup, not a hurricane preparation plan.

Bottom line, you are the captain, make wise decisions and as always keep a careful weather eye. Make your own informed decisions.

Sailm8 · Aug 27, 2015

Been through numerous TS's and several hurricanes. All of the advice for stripping the boat and tying it up is correct. The biggest problem I have had is unprepared neighbors. One loose trawler sank 5 boats at my dock and totaled 2 more. Guy was a snowbird and didn't bother to prep his boat when he left for the season. He came from a quarter of a mile away.

My point is, prep your boat but be prepared for damage from others who poorly prepare.

Delezynski · Aug 27, 2015

Gunni said:
One of the strange things about these situations is the herd mentality that comes along. I have seen guys sit around the marina gamming themselves out of their anxiety, drink a few beers, have some laughs and then go home group convinced that there isn't anything to be worried about. This storm isn't going to be a big deal. Sometime about o-dark thirty their deck junk blows off followed by their dodger. A few hours later the foresail unwraps, flogs their neighbor's boat before filling, heeling the boat and rolling it into a pile, or capsize. They spend the rest of the season in the company of adjusters and repairmen. Their dock mates mock them.

Certainly the opposite occurs, the nervous prep that gets the boat ready and then the storm fizzles out, or veers. But they certainly sleep better at home. And they exhibit responsible ownership. Insurance is a last step backup, not a hurricane preparation plan.

Bottom line, you are the captain, make wise decisions and as always keep a careful weather eye. Make your own informed decisions.

VERY well said!

About 2 days before the hurricane we went through at Marina de La Paz (video link in previous post) I had to relate my concerns to the boat next to me who had a batch of hard stuff on his deck and all sails on. After about half an hour of casual talk, I strongly informed him that about 12 hours before the predicted arrival, I would help him clear his decks. And he could later hire a diver to retrieve his JUNK!!!!!!

We always feel that knowing the surroundings is as important as prepping the boat.

Greg

Kermit · Aug 27, 2015

shemandr said:
Do yourself a favor and keep updated on this page: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/084828.shtml?tswind120#contents You will notice that you have around a 40% chance of tropical force winds and 10 - 20% chance of 50+ knots of wind - as of now. Since you can have several of these events in the next month or so, I would consider not going all out prep. Definitely have a plan. And take windage off your boat and do some of the rain defense detailed above. But it's not time for the spiderweb thing unless you want to practice. Haul the boat? Save that for a higher probability of hurricane force or greater wind. Don't wear yourself out on this one. My 2 cents.

All of this don't-over-prepare-now-wait-for-the-bigger-storm advice is good unless your boat doesn't survive this storm. Sorta like saving your best pitcher for the next game and this one is win-or-go-home. You don't need a pitcher if you don't have a game to play.

smokey73 · Aug 27, 2015

What is upcanal and downcanal from you?

Sailm8 said:
Been through numerous TS's and several hurricanes. All of the advice for stripping the boat and tying it up is correct. The biggest problem I have had is unprepared neighbors. One loose trawler sank 5 boats at my dock and totaled 2 more. Guy was a snowbird and didn't bother to prep his boat when he left for the season. He came from a quarter of a mile away.

My point is, prep your boat but be prepared for damage from others who poorly prepare.

Be careful tying up mid-canal. I'm not sure of your canal but your big worries might be logs, part of buildings, boats, dingys, and whatever moving up and down the canal during the storm. If its a canal with other people on it I'd be very wary of tying up mid canal?

Also, not sure how you're tied up but if I'm not using my anchor for this tie-up, I'd strongly consider removing it and taking it home so that a line doesn't get snagged on the anchor if the boat is pitching and gets cut/chaffed by the anchor. Mainsail had a great photo story on this and I now am prepared to remove my anchor before any approaching significant storm if it looks like I intend to stay on my mooring ball or tie to a pier.

Just some considerations.

shemandr · Aug 27, 2015

Oooooooh. A brushback from the Frogman! Nothing wrong with his fastball.

Don S/V ILLusion · Aug 27, 2015

Seems like a lot of effort compared with simply hauling a 31ft boat.

Kermit · Aug 27, 2015

shemandr said:
Oooooooh. A brushback from the Frogman! Nothing wrong with his fastball.

The head coach of The Citadel baseball team told our Rotary club that in one particular game he went through all of his pitchers. So he put his catcher on the mound. When asked why he put his catcher in to pitch he said, "If you don't have a pitcher you don't need a catcher." And the first time South Carolina won the College World Series, the UCLA coach chose not to put his best starting pitcher in to close out the tied-up game with USC threatening. He had a well-rested pitcher the next night with no game to play. Dang that was a fun game to watch.