What to do if in the Bahamas durring hurricane

Merlin Clark · Oct 29, 2012

The annual cruisers I know don't go during the season. Good practice to know where the "hurricane holes" are in any time of year though. http://www.seaworthy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=220&Itemid=259
If you decide to evac to a FL marina, it would be good to know what the port's expectations are too, for instance Port Canaveral has a mandatory evacuation of all vessels whenever a hurricane warning is in effect. So all the boaters at the port's marinas have to find a safe place to stash their boats.

Buck420 · Oct 29, 2012

rgallagher said:
I am really interested in some honest imput on this topic in light of Hurricane Sandy.

If you were cruising in the Bahamas, and Sandy was approaching, do you hunker down, or sail to the Florida coast to a marina?

Or is there another choice?

I am interested to hear what experienced sailors recommend.

Thank you

Hard to give a definitive answer because it would depend on where you are in the Bahamas, what the nature of the storm is and what it's track is, and what your situation is. There are marinas and more secure places over there to ride out a hurricane. Personally, unless I was close to Fla ( within a day ) and was sure I could get back before the storm came thru, I'd look for a secure place (marina ) to ride the storm out.
However, the best way to deal with your question is to avoid it ... simply don't be there during hurricane season.
As John Wayne use to say ... " Life's tough, pilgrim, and it's even tougher when you're stupid ".

KD3PC · Oct 29, 2012

two choices - you can run or you can hide....

I would be very leery "running" unless you know you can get to where you are going, and away from the storm in the time you have. I have been in between FL and the Islands in TS and small hurricanes, and it is not fun or for the feint of heart. Weather reporting is still spotty and the "cone of death" is fairly fluid compared to the boat speed. You just can't run fast enough to be far enough.

Hiding has it's own set of issues, lee shores, marinas and such are all options...but many, especially in the islands are not too inviting or any more secure that heaving to, or anchoring in an appropriate hurricane hole.

YMMV

Rick I · Oct 29, 2012

From the top to the bottom of the Bahamas is around 400 miles. So it matters where you are in the Bahamas when a hurricane approaches. Some spots have good holes to hide in, other places have no shelter. Most cruisers sail there when the hurricane "season" is over but remember, a hurricane can occur any month of the year.

Barnacle Bill · Oct 29, 2012

The Bahamas are pretty flat and therefore exposed. The good "hurricane holes" will fill up fast and there still is no guarantee. Someone mentioned a "lee shore". You don't want to be there. You want to be in the lee of an island (which is often referred to as the windward shore - from you). If you know way ahead of time that a tropical depression is heading your way and will soon become a hurricane, then you might have enough time to get away from it, but sailboats are slow and storms are fast. You need a big advance notice. If you can make it to Florida and get up some river and away from the ocean, that is a good thing. But, remember, others will be heading there too and they will fill up fast. If you can get into a marina, then tie up your boat with a lot of dock lines and use big ones. A Hunter 28.5 is not considered an offshore classified boat, so you are even more vulnerable. With a hurricane there is a big surge. Often people think there is a big flood, well sometimes the water runs out of the marina too. But, lots of lines to keep you in place so that your boat does not hit the dock, which is one way how docks break apart.
It usually is recommended that you don't sail Florida or the Bahamas until February at the earliest, March is better - April better yet. Not just for Hurricanes, but also for the Northerlies that come unexpectedly out of the north in those regions. Usually they start going away in February, but not always. That's my 2 cents.

Benny17441 · Nov 2, 2012

Verify your insurance coverage. It may likely require endorsement for the Bahamas for the duration of the trip. Some companies may refuse to issue them during hurricane season and others may charge a rather high premium.

capta · Nov 4, 2012

In my experience, "hurricane holes" are a myth. Every local vessel from tugs and barges, ferries and work boats to inter-island freighters know about them and fill them up to the point a yacht is in more peril from them than the storm.
It takes a lot of ground tackle, experience and luck to survive at anchor in a hurricane, especially in a "second choice" anchorage. Most boats below 30' don't even have cleats strong enough for a hurricane and friends have used their gene winches and even the mast; at times successfully, at times not.
I would suggest that if you want to save the boat, haul it out in a boat yard. Many yards that haul boats for the season have very good tie down systems and some yards here in the Caribbean are now digging holes and putting the boats' keels several feet into the ground as well as tying them down.
Most folks have no idea how terrifying it is to go through a hurricane on a yacht at anchor and how much work it entails to do so safely. Remember; you can not change your mind half way through!
As stated above, sailboats are generally too slow to outrun a storm and beating into the wind is the only way out. If you run, you are running into it.
So, bottom line, if your boat isn't really capable of surviving a storm offshore and there's no yard within a reasonable distance, you should probably do your best to secure the boat and get out of there.