East Coast Hurricanes - Advice Needed

[Kemah]

This is my first regular season in the water and here come some possible hurricanes/big tropical storms. The Accuweather forecast is for sustained winds at 68 mph (although NOAA currently forecasts 51 mph) on Cape Cod late Saturday night from Hanna. (It looks like Ike could be worse, if it makes it decides to head north up the coast.) My 22' Ty Sr is moored on a 350 lb. mushroom in sandy muck with a double mooring line. I'm not sure I can have someone haul the boat tomorrow or Saturday before Hanna hits.

I'm wondering (a) if the boat stays in the water, what preparation should I make beside removing sails; and (b) whether the boat is safer in the water than on land on stands.

The wind will be blowing across a 1/2 mile-wide harbor (not directly into the harbor channel entrance) with low headlands across on the other side of the harbor.

Any suggestions would be extremely welcome.

[tartansailor]

Make sure your chafing gear is up to the task!
Last year a 45 knot blow melted a 1/2" mooring
line half way through at the cleat in a friend's boat.
Dick

[Russell]

Have to agree, chafing gear chafing gear chafing gear. If you leave your boat on the mooring, certainly see to this, and double up lines so when/if the first ones chafe through you have backups.

Riding out various storms I personally have found the best chafe gear to be reinfornced plastic hose (the clear stuff with the colored thread inside it, NOT metal reinforced exhaust hose). Cut a 2 or 3' length per line, diameter appropriate for your line. Drill holes about 2" down from the ends on each end. Run some small but strong line through those holes, then through a bight in your mooring line/snubber, then through the hole on the other side of your hose, then tie up tightly. This ensures your chafe gear wont slip out of the way and be useless. Of course this will not work if you are using double braid for your mooring lines, but if thats the case you should be changing that as well.

A 350lb mushroom is huge for a ty, the mushroom I doubt will be your weak link at all, I would bet you lose a deck cleat before that mooring budges (if its a soft bottom that mushrooms love).

[Kemah]

Thanks for the helpful ideas about chafing gear.

I have a question about my chock setup. The Ty Sr (displacement 3,300 lbs. ) has two chocks on the bow which have pins holding the lines in place (this may be common on CD's). This pins slide across the top of the chock and then turn down on one side to "lock" them down. My double bridle lines are 3/4" with light firehose-type chafing protection. The lines fit pretty tightly under the pins. I'm wondering if I should open the pins so they don't wear on the top of the lines, or if maybe in fact the pins more or less grab hold of the lines and as a result, reduce the wear on the lines by keeping them from moving back and forth as much in the chock.

[shavdog]

Right where the lines go thru those pins you refrenced....on my ty my wife sewed in leather chaff pieces i bought from west marine...that eliminates the wear on the line itself because when your boat moves around that is a wear spot that needs addl attn...good luck..craig

[M. R. Bober]

Reduce windage: remove your sails and canvas, stow all deck mounted gear below. Check your scuppers.

Good luck,

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (where dock lines have been doubled), VA

[Neil Gordon]

The lines fit pretty tightly under the pins. I'm wondering if I should open the pins so they don't wear on the top of the lines, or if maybe in fact the pins more or less grab hold of the lines and as a result, reduce the wear on the lines by keeping them from moving back and forth as much in the chock.

The line won't be held tight enough and a tighter fit in the chock might increase chafe rather than reduce it.

I'd go with redundant lines and chaging gear. If you're moored with two lines, attach a snubber to each and rig so that if the snubber fails, your mooring line takes over. You'd need four lines to chage through that way.

As others have mentioned, do what you can do reduce windage.

[Dick Kobayashi]

In 1991's H. Bob, I simply stripped the sail AND since I was in shallow water dropped the mast overboard. Later I retrieved it with the aid of a tall friend. If you want to know how much windage the mast provides - stick your arm our of a car window at 60 mph - then imagine your arm is 30 feet long.

I am in Mattapoisett harbor and am not hauling my boat, but will strengthen mooring lines IF we receive a Tropical storm WARNING. I have stripped the sails off.

[Steve Laume]

I am heading down to Raven today to square her away for a blow. Chafing gear will be my main concern.

I always worry about how well my upwind neighbors are secured. Your boat can be as snug a possible but it doesn't do much good if another boat breaks loose and crashes into you. Great! Just something else to worry about.

When I had my Ty and we had storm warnings I duct taped the cockpit hatch covers on. I don't know about the Sr but the Weekender covers just sat there and I worried they might blow away.

In a protected mooring field you are probably safer than tied up to a dock somewhere.

You should be fine just because you care. Still, best of luck to you and everyone else, Steve.

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

We sit in the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southport, NC. We've lived thru such hurricanes as Bertha, Bonnie, Fran Floyd, Ophelia, etc, who either come in right over top of us or just east. The worst case scenario was Hazel that came in at Myrtle Beach as a cat 3 & devasted Southport. Now Hanna is bearing down on us, will come in south of us and if close enough will put us on the northeast quadrant - absolutely the worst place. Point is, you can never tell what they'll do so plan for the worst. We stepped the mast on Miss Dale 3 days ago after work in her slip, next day put her on her trailer, and yesterday evening brought her around back to a good sheltered area. She's covered, as well out of harms way as can be, and her insurance is paid up. Which is another point.... if your boat is trailerable and the trailer is covered under your insurance policy (so they know you have it) and you don't haul out, some clauses will not pay you a penny if you file a damage claim. Read the fine print. Anway:

IF YOU CAN HAUL OUT - DO IT!!!

Good Luck to All in Harms Way!

[rtbates]

Has anyone used a short length of chain, or better yet, heavy coated ss cable to lead from the boats cleats through the chocks and attach the lines outside the vessel to the end of the chain/cable? seems like chafe concerns would be nil.

Anyone ever tried anchoring by the stern in storm conditions? I read Jordan's piece and have tried it in 30mph winds and all tendency to yaw back and forth stops. The yawing back and forth and the inherent yanking on the gear is the killer.

http://www.jordanseriesdrogue.com/D_14.htm