Hurricane Irene Prep

[Johnd]

Boat US will cover 50/% for pulling out within a 5 day period of the storm's arrival.

I'm betting on the storm hitting, so I'm having Evening Star hauled now.

Good luck to all.

[rghinson]

Well, for better or worse here I am back in Charlotte, NC, 225 miles away from my new love. All of your posts were helpful and appreciated, and where practicable, followed. This is a great group, a real community and I love being a part of it. Good luck to all in the storm.

Best,

Reid Hinson
CD33 First Star
Oriental, NC

[Cathy Monaghan]

CLICK on the object below for additional information from the National Hurricane Center regarding Hurricane Irene .

<a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.sh ... aynl"><img width="600" src="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/ ... m.gif"></a>

[riveredge]

Thanks for all the good info.

[Sea Hunt Video]

I do not have the experience to offer suggestions about securing sailboats, etc.

I do have some experience with personal preparation for hurricanes. I am sure some of this is obvious and redundant for which I apologize.

You should have/do the following in preparation of Hurricane Irene:

Water for each person for 4-5 days

Nonperishable food (canned tuna, chicken, crackers, energy bars, etc.) for each person for 4-5 days

Flashlights and batteries

Battery operated radio

A sufficient amount of CASH for 7-10 days after the hurricane. Depending on damage done, banks and ATMs will not be functional. Credit cards are useless.

Gas ALL vehicles. Again, depending on damage, gas stations will not have electricity to operate fuel pumps, etc.

Each person should each have a small backpack/rucksack (I call it a "go bag") that contains truly essential personal items they need. I guess sort of like what offshore sailors have in/near their emergency life raft. IF everything goes bad very quickly, you want it to be the one item you can grab quickly and "go" that will help you get by for the following 7-10 days or longer:

-prescription and non-prescription medicines you are taking or may need in the next 7-10 days

-toothbrush, toothpaste and other personal toiletry items

-cosmetic items you absolutely cannot live without

-contact lenses, solution, etc. if you use contact lenses or extra glasses, etc.

-change of clothes and underwear for 3-4 days

-personal papers, including your home owner's insurance policies - both windstorm and flood; car insurance, etc.; also boat insurance policies.

-wallet containing cash (make sure you have enough cash) and credit cards, driver's license, etc.

-Ziploc baggies with energy bars, etc.

-2-3 small bottles of water

-very small battery operated radio with a 3-4 day supply of fresh/new batteries

-12V cell phone charger that you use to charge your phone from your vehicle. This is the only way you will be able to keep your cell phone charged when electricity goes out for 3-4 days or longer after hurricane.

It does not have to be a lot of stuff, but it has to be stuff that you absolutely need for 3-4 or even 7-10 days following a hurricane. There will be no electricity, no water, no real ability to drive around (if storm is bad and knocks down trees, etc.). You will have to get by on your own until infrastructure services can begin to operate again.

If you have weapons at home and you have to evacuate your home make sure you have a place to secure your weapons or, if feasible, take them with you. Depending on how bad the storm is, there will be "looters". I have a sign (as do many who survived Hurricane Andrew (anniversary today, 24 August 1992) that says "LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT; SURVIVORS, IF ANY, WILL BE SHOT AGAIN".

I never really thought about any of this before Hurricane Andrew. In a former life I was trained to be prepared, have supplies, have a plan, etc. to survive. I never thought I needed any of this living in a nice home in a nice neighborhood in sunny warm Miami. The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew changed all of that. I now preach the above to friends and relatives. Some listen; some don't. While I will still worry about my sailboat, I will not worry about my ability to survive (and do well) for at least 2 weeks after even a Cat 5 hurricane.

Good luck to everyone.

[gates_cliff]

Just called the marina and got on the list to get my boat hauled. I'm #20 now. We dodged a bullet the last hurricane that was predicted for the Chesapeake, but I just can't take the chance and like someone else said having it hauled is a small price compared with the chance of damage.

Plus it will give me the chance to install the depth sounder transducer the yard did not install when I asked them to install the new Morris depth sound last spring! I know, everyone told me I could do it and have some water gush in, but since I'd never done it before the idea of opening an 1 1/2" hole in the bottom of my boat just didn't appeal to me.

I'm going down tomorrow and take the main off and secure any loose gear even though I'll be on land. I don't have roller furling yet so don't have to worry about that.

[Cathy Monaghan]

As my dad used to say "darn it anyhow!". Though he may have used them, I never heard him use a foul four-lettered word.

While Irene's track was still heading more eastward, I was comfortable leaving the frame and tarp on the boat. Now I don't know what to do. Due to our recent replacement of the cockpit sole, and the fact that we're not finished, there are gaping holes in the sole for the pedestal, the guard feet, the rudder post inspection port and the waste fitting. There's no way I can re-install all of that stuff (did I mention we weren't finished?) and I really don't want to since we still haven't applied the new non-skid, though I did get the second coat of primer down on Wednesday.

If we leave the tarp and frame up, the boat will show alot of windage to Irene, the tarp will be shredded and I'm pretty sure the frame will be mangled. If we take the tarp and frame down, the boat will be flooded. Either way our beloved boat may wind up ruined.

I guess I'm gonna have to find a way to make temporary gaskets so that I can re-install some of the hardware without bedding compound to seal off those holes. Drat!

Of course it's raining today - again. We've had too much. So the ground is already saturated and the pump in the basement is already working overtime. We really don't need any more rain. We don't need the high winds either. Irene, please go away.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Andy Denmark]

Been right there when I ran the boatyard.

Plywood, dry wall screws and plain old house caulking. The damage you prevent by having to repair the screw holes is well worth the effort. Be sure not to cover the scuppers.

Remember: "Perfection is the arch enemy of good enough."

FWIW

Andy

[rghinson]

Oh Cathy, I am so sorry, I wonder if there is any way to apply a tripple or thicker layer of shrinkwrap? It may not be perfect but could possibly avoid disaster.

Best luck,

Reid Hinson
CD33 First Star
Oriental, NC

[Sea Hunt Video]

Cathy:

I assume you have thought of this but any chance of using styrofoam or similar "fillings" and then cover them with a lot of duct tape Or just covering the holes with lots and lots of duct tape

On S/V Tadpole I was concerned about cockpit hatches because they do not have latches - no way to secure them. I sealed them with heavy duty white duct tape. She survived the two "wind events" when I was her caretaker. Duct tape can be very useful in this situation.

[Steve Laume]

As my dad used to say "darn it anyhow!". Though he may have used them, I never heard him use a foul four-lettered word.

While Irene's track was still heading more eastward, I was comfortable leaving the frame and tarp on the boat. Now I don't know what to do. Due to our recent replacement of the cockpit sole, and the fact that we're not finished, there are gaping holes in the sole for the pedestal, the guard feet, the rudder post inspection port and the waste fitting. There's no way I can re-install all of that stuff (did I mention we weren't finished?) and I really don't want to since we still haven't applied the new non-skid, though I did get the second coat of primer down on Wednesday.

If we leave the tarp and frame up, the boat will show alot of windage to Irene, the tarp will be shredded and I'm pretty sure the frame will be mangled. If we take the tarp and frame down, the boat will be flooded. Either way our beloved boat may wind up ruined.

I guess I'm gonna have to find a way to make temporary gaskets so that I can re-install some of the hardware without bedding compound to seal off those holes. Drat!

Of course it's raining today - again. We've had too much. So the ground is already saturated and the pump in the basement is already working overtime. We really don't need any more rain. We don't need the high winds either. Irene, please go away.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

Cathy, pick up a roll of Gorilla brand duct tape. It is supposed to be as good as duct tape gets and even adhere to wet surfaces. I would do that first no matter what other steps you feel are necessary. Household caulk with a piece of plywood over it could work well even without the drywall screw if you weighted it down with a bunch of lead or something nearly as heavy. At least the cockpit sole is a rather sheltered area.

I don't think tarps will be your friend, Steve.

[Oswego John]

If there is any contour involved, maybe lay a rubber door mat over the hole and secure with weights.

Good luck. Knock on wood.
O J

[Sea Hunt Video]

I know everyone has their own personal issues they are dealing with as Hurricane Irene heads to NC and then along the coast.

For me, I don't know whether to laugh, cry, scream or just sit in a catatonic state for the next 3-4 days.

My new-to-me Cape Dory 25D has been maintained in beautiful condition (near Bristol) by her prior two owners. I wanted to insure that I kept (keep) her the same. When I found her in NY/NJ early this Summer I thought long and hard about whether to transport her to Miami immediately or wait until near the end of hurricane season.

It was really not a difficult choice. All of the "experts" said this year was going to be a very bad year for hurricanes in South Florida. I did not want to have to move and secure a new-to-me CD 25D when I did not know her systems, etc.

NY/NJ was a safe place - almost hurricane proof in the sense that none had come close in many, many years.

Now I am more than 1,500 miles away and can do nothing to try to protect her against what will surely be a Cat 1, possibly Cat 2 hurricane with a devastating storm surge. Those of you (most of you at least) in the path of Irene at least have the ability to take action to try to protect your Cape Dory. All I could do was get the marina to haul and block my CD 25D and unstep the mast. I do not know where within the marina she is; how close to other sailboats; fully exposed or not to offshore wind, tidal and storm surges, etc. There is a lot of expensive "stuff" in the cabin that I would have certainly taken home - if this were happening in South Florida.

It is a very helpless feeling to not be able to take action, do something, not know, etc.

Come Monday morning I am going to have to make a difficult phone call (if phone lines are even working) to try to determine what injuries my CD 25D has sustained.

I wish everyone in Irene's path good luck. We are all going to need it over the next 3-4 days and probably over the next several months dealing with the aftermath of Irene.

What a mess this is going to be for so many sailors and non-sailors

[Neil Gordon]

The projected storm track has shifted back to the east a bit this morning, so that it's expected to cross Cape Hatteras but otherwise be a bit offshore until it crosses the middle of Long Island and then heads into New England.

This morning's Boston Harbor marine weather forecast is the first I've seen that said, "hurricane conditions also possible."

If conditions will be TS, then I'm thinking ride the storm out on the boat. If it's H strength though, watching on TV for as long as the lights stay on might be a better choice.

[kerlandsen]

just told me:

"The bills at MGH are lot higher than the bills at the yard. "

His custom built Morris 46 is very well protected at this time.

(he is the pres of the company, we get along great)

Kyle