Hurricane Matthew

[RLW]

Re: S/V Bali Ha'i is on her trailer at home in the driveway. I have her strapped down to the trailer with two (2) substantial web straps. Right now the mast is lying fore/aft and resting on the pulpit/pushpit. I may try to bring the mast down and put it on the ground. Not sure. I don't know of anything else I can do.

When I had a boat on a trailer in the yard for a named storm I screwed anchors into the ground and lashed the trailer to the ground. Good luck and be safe!

[Capt Hook]

Re: S/V Bali Ha'i is on her trailer at home in the driveway. I have her strapped down to the trailer with two (2) substantial web straps. Right now the mast is lying fore/aft and resting on the pulpit/pushpit. I may try to bring the mast down and put it on the ground. Not sure. I don't know of anything else I can do.

When I had a boat on a trailer in the yard for a named storm I screwed anchors into the ground and lashed the trailer to the ground. Good luck and be safe!

How much water can you put in the bilge without causing a problem?

At 62.4 # per cubic foot you could add a fair amount of weight to hold her down.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Oh doo doo

Like I stated in an earlier post on this thread, just a 1-2 degree turn and it's now looking like South Florida is/will be in the NHC/NOAA cone of a Category 4 hurricane. With 2 days to go, if the high pressure system to the East in the Atlantic does not move out of the way QUICKLY, Hurricane Matthew is going to take the path of least resistance and that means coming to my house for a visit. Just like Hurricane Andrew on 24 August 1992.

This is very depressing. I try to joke but having been through Andrew (and a bunch of strong TSs) I really do not want to experience Matthew. All things considered I seriously believe it is time to move out of South Florida. As we used to say "I did my time in Hell". I've got a nice house in a nice neighborhood (4/3, 2 car garage, patio, large pool, etc.) and a VERY NICE Cape Dory 25D sailboat. Offers

[John Stone]

I hear ya Roberto. We will keep our fingers crossed that FL is spared. We have lots of friends there though most are on the west coast. We start hurricane preps on the Far Reach tomorrow. I don't like the way Mathew looks at all. Although it's too soon to get anxious NOAA is suggesting a NC landfall. The FR is on the hard just inland from Beaufort, NC. Gayle and I will cancel homeschool tomorrow and head to the boatyard. Remove the hard dinghy, mainsail, sculling oar, pram-hood, solar panel, etc. In a few days if it still looks bad I'll go install four 3' long anchor screws into the ground and strap the boat down. That's what I did when she was the back yard for two hurricanes. Not much else I can do.

The boatyard seems to be proactive and very responsible. Beaufort Marine Center is owned by and co-located with Moores Marine. They have been featured in WoodenBoat magazine and are world famous for their work restoring Trumpy motor yachts. Hopefully this will all go well.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Rich w. and John S.:

Can you describe or post photo(s) of your ground anchors that are screwed in. I think I know what you are referencing (sort of like a auger) but would prefer confirmation. Also what type of strap (metal, three-strand or other) did you use

Thanks.

[John Stone]

Hi Roberto,
Sure. I purchased the anchors from Northern Tools. I think you can also find them at Lowes and Home Depot. Here is the link:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... gQod4LsAuQ

They advertise them as a four pack for $19. I remember calling them and asking about the price since it seemed very low. They assured me the price quote was correct. "OK, I'll buy them" I replied. They mailed them to me then a couple of days later I got a phone call from them saying they were $19 a piece and they wanted to charge me for them. I just laughed at them. Told them they could have them back but they had to pay for packing and shipping and my time. They decided to stick with the price on the website. I see that five years later they still haven't changed the price.

For straps I have two 40' long 2" wide ratchet straps. I bought them at Lowes. I think they are rated about about 8 or 10 thousand pounds each. The whole lash-up cost less than $100. Easily worth the investment.

[John Stone]

I'm not digging this forecast at all.

[RLW]

Yes...auger type left over from my "boat barn," (temporary structure) and cheap ratchet straps. In our soil you get a good upper body workout screwing those anchors in!

[Sea Hunt Video]

If there is any good news in Hurricane Matthew's track it is that, assuming tracking does not change, Florida (particularly S. Florida) will be on the "cleaner" side of the hurricane as it moves NNW and then N and then NNE.

[Sea Hunt Video]

John S. and all on the eastern seaboard:

It looks like you called it John. As of 1400 hours today NOAA/NHC projects Hurricane Matthew to crawl up the Florida east coast and then cross over the eastern shore of North Carolina. If the low in the Atlantic moves a little east you may be "lucky" and get the cleaner side of Hurricane Matthew. I would think that, at best, you will have category 2 winds (96-110 mph) - a major hurricane by any standards.

It looks like Miami area will start feeling TS/H force winds Wednesday night into Thursday, depending on SOG, path, and strength. Why do hurricanes ALWAYS seem to arrive at night or early in the am ("zero dark thirty" as I used to say).

[Capt Hook]

John S. and all on the eastern seaboard:

It looks like you called it John. As of 1400 hours today NOAA/NHC projects Hurricane Matthew to crawl up the Florida east coast and then cross over the eastern shore of North Carolina. If the low in the Atlantic moves a little east you may be "lucky" and get the cleaner side of Hurricane Matthew. I would think that, at best, you will have category 2 winds (96-110 mph) - a major hurricane by any standards.

It looks like Miami area will start feeling TS/H force winds Wednesday night into Thursday, depending on SOG, path, and strength. Why do hurricanes ALWAYS seem to arrive at night or early in the am ("zero dark thirty" as I used to say).

Roberto,

Looks like you might dodge a bullet.

[John Stone]

Just spent the last five hours removing the mainsail, hard dinghy, dinghy spar, solar panel, pram hood, sculling oar, Etc from the Far Reach. Lots of activity in the boat yard. The ownership has been sending out emails trying to get people to prep their boats. The one next to me is a project boat with all kinds of stuff strewn about. The boatyard is riding them to clean up or the yard will do it for them and bill them. Good I say. Huge multi millon dollar sport fishing boats being pulled. Lots of pick up trucks on the road with empty trailers as folks start pulling their fishing skiffs. Hopefully we will get a glancing blow at worst but I have a bad feeling about Mathew. Plan for the worst.

We should know by Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Fingers crossed.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Captain Hook:

It is too early to tell. NOAA/NHC still has to announce the 1700 hrs projection (course, speed, strength). If the Atlantic low pressure system stays in place Hurricane Matthew will slide west and we will be "ground zero".

In any event "dodge a bullet" has a very different connotation for some.

It is strange to say because very little scares me these days but major hurricanes scare me. I think it is the feeling of lack of control. In my world I was always in control, assured, trained. With hurricanes you have no control. Just a one degree turn and it's crawling over your home with 145 mph destructive winds. All you can do is board up your home, pack your "go bag", and wait. No fun.

John S., you and all along the coast are in my thoughts. "Plan for the worst" is all we can do. I have vivid images of crawling out of my destroyed home in 1992. It looked like my neighborhood had been carpet bombed. It was "the worst". GOOD LUCK TO ALL

[Sea Hunt Video]

Captain Hook and all:

The NOAA/NHC 1700 hrs projection just came out. As predicted Hurricane Matthew is now projected to make a slightly more significant turn to the NW tomorrow (Wednesday) and Miami is back in the "cone of uncertainty". Matthew is a Cat. 4 and is VERY big. We will get hit with significant hurricane force winds regardless of its exact path.

NOAA/NHC is excellent at projecting path. Unfortunately, it is as much an art as a science. It is difficult for them to predict a "1 degree turn". Just look at the past tracing of Matthew. The cone tells us the higher probabilities for the eye wall of the hurricane - from one side of the cone to other and everything in between.

Soooooooooo, Captain Hook, sadly, no we have not "dodged a bullet".

[tjr818]

Best of Luck to you Roberto. Strap down Bali Ha'i, ice up those Guinness and find some place safe.
You are in my prayers.