Tropical Storm Season is finally here...

[John Nuttall]

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

[John R.]

Yep John......things may start getting busy in a few more weeks. Sadly though most owners don't do much if anything at all to prepare their boats history has shown around here. Everybody seems to just rely on insurance bailing them out (good luck with that one if you haven't prepared).

I know you are ready and so am I (sort of, in midst of rewiring project) and I know Zeida in Miami is also. That makes three of us but who knows what anyone else has done to be prepared.

Good luck in the Carolinas!

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

[Ron Ellis]

My Ty is on the Gulf Coast in Rockport, Tx, and this is my first season as a boat owner.

What should I do to prepare for a potential storm?

My boat is in a slip, behind a seawall on Aransas Bay, which is protected by a barrier island. I own a trailer, and time permitting, I could get it out of the coastal area altogether - but I don't think I can count on time permitting.

Thanks in advance.

Ron Ellis
Little Wing

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

tophat@io.com

[Andy Denmark]

Right on, John,

Today I inspected all the ground tackle on Rhiannon. (1) 22# Bruce, 25' 3/8" chain, 120' 5/8" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear (2) 15# Danforth, 20' 3/8" chain, 120' 1/2" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear (3) 40# Luke (storm anchor), 30' 3/8" chain, 120' 5/8" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear. Need to replace the galvanized cable thimble on the Bruce (resplice), okay on the Danforth setup, and the Luke needs some (yet undetermined) work. (The horsequitoes drove me inside before I could finish!)

All of this in preparation for the hurricane season. Tomorrow I fire up and service the emergency generator. These are all the preps I've made for the last two years when we didn't have a single hurricane so I figure something I'm doing keeps the storms away -- the "butterfly wing principle," maybe. You know you've got a place for Aimless to ride out any storm here on Broad Creek - best hurricane hole around these parts.

When will SWMBO know about the Law Boards? Do you have a life yet? We are way behind the D & S quotient, too.

Later,

Andy



trekker@coastalnet.com

[Tom G]

If at all possible get it out of the water and off the coast if you love your boat. All the preperation is well and good, but if your neighbors fail to do the same they will break lose and possibly hit your boat. Or a larger then exspected storm serge could lift the slips off there poles. I would eather move it to a huricane hole in your area, or get it out of the water and away from the shore line. Boats left in the boat yard near the cost are also a danger to your boat. If flooding occures they can also get pushed into your boat.

My Ty is on the Gulf Coast in Rockport, Tx, and this is my first season as a boat owner.

What should I do to prepare for a potential storm?

My boat is in a slip, behind a seawall on Aransas Bay, which is protected by a barrier island. I own a trailer, and time permitting, I could get it out of the coastal area altogether - but I don't think I can count on time permitting.

Thanks in advance.

Ron Ellis
Little Wing

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

tgrant9008@aol.com

[john]

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

We're ready for anything that comes our way. No preperation required. Of course we're stuck on Lake Lanier where all you do is tack every 10 minutes. BTW for all of those Cape Dory owners who havent seen John & Amy's CD31, it is beautiful. Next year I will be getting ready with the rest of the coastal folks.
John CD31 #18



redzeplin@yahoo.com

[Ken Coit]

On the night of July 31 it was reported that there was loud music and dancing in the kitchen while Cap'n John was on-line to the world. It must be that the bar exam released some pent-up energy.

Way to go Amy!

Ken

Right on, John,

Today I inspected all the ground tackle on Rhiannon. (1) 22# Bruce, 25' 3/8" chain, 120' 5/8" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear (2) 15# Danforth, 20' 3/8" chain, 120' 1/2" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear (3) 40# Luke (storm anchor), 30' 3/8" chain, 120' 5/8" 3-strand nylon w/ chafing gear. Need to replace the galvanized cable thimble on the Bruce (resplice), okay on the Danforth setup, and the Luke needs some (yet undetermined) work. (The horsequitoes drove me inside before I could finish!)

All of this in preparation for the hurricane season. Tomorrow I fire up and service the emergency generator. These are all the preps I've made for the last two years when we didn't have a single hurricane so I figure something I'm doing keeps the storms away -- the "butterfly wing principle," maybe. You know you've got a place for Aimless to ride out any storm here on Broad Creek - best hurricane hole around these parts.

When will SWMBO know about the Law Boards? Do you have a life yet? We are way behind the D & S quotient, too.

Later,

Andy

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Ken Coit]

May it be so.

Ken

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

[img]http://www.gopbi.com/auto/channels/weat ... obal-c.png[/img]
parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Will W.]

Saw this post yesterday and realized I had not thought about this. I have read posts in the past that had lots of helpfull information about how to prepare the boat for a storm but I am in a marina so I decided to ask the owner what he usually does for people to prepare for a hurricane or bad storm. He said that he just loosens peoples stern lines so that they will ride out the storm surge (then he threw in the " thats what insurance is for"). Then he held his hand at about 4 feet and said "the water usually gets this high".
At the level indicated the entire Marina is underwater. My marina is literally cut out of a creek bed that empties into the Chesapeake. At high tide the water is often only a few inches below the finger pier. I usually step up to Suzi Q from a pier that is level with land. What this means is that pulling her out of the water is almost out of the question. If she was on jack stands on land and the water was 4 ft deep, she would float away!
.
So, does the Marina Owners solution sound safe? Should I buy some storm gear and seek a hidey hole? Or should I find a marina with higher ground and haul out there?
.
Where is a boat most likely to safely ride out a bad storm, in the water with appropriate measures, or hauled out with similar preparation?

Thanks for any thoughts

Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

willwheatley@starpower.net

[John R.]

Will,

The safest place for a boat is hauled out and properly secured ashore as far from the waters edge as you can get her and near the softest surroundings possible.

In addition that certainly doesn't mean you can't sustain serious damage but it does place the odds in your favor for a more positive outcome. Unforunately most boats have to remain in the water unless arrangements have been made for a storm haulout way, way in advance.

If you are stuck having to keep the boat in the water then there is much you can and should do to help minimize the damage risk. Believe me that the insurance adjuster will be more amicable toward any claims if he/she notes you took every measure possible to protect the boat. They don't care too much for "walk away's" (owners who do little to nothing).

Now...to me your marina sounds a lot like many marinas here in Florida. You are not in a good situation at all from a surge point of view. That 4' your marina dockmaster indicated is probably the best case scenario. Read up on hurricanes and tropical systems, you will see how many factors affect storm surge such as: storm intensity, speed of travel, moon phase, tide phase, storm intensity, local water depth off shore and other factors. For him to say 4' only seems a bad joke to me. You should check your county flood plat maps at your local library reference department and see what the storm surge risks are for a given storm intensity (storm category) in the area of your marina. That will give you a solid indication of what computer models have predicted in a typical situation. Once you have that information you have a bsaeline to work from and then you can adjust your preperation plans for specific differences in characteristics of a particular storm. In other words make adjustments if a storm is moving very slow and the surge will be high for a long period but be a lower surge as opposed to a fast moving storm with a short duration surge but a much higher one as it pushes and builds the water up ahead of it's movement along with the factors of what the downward pressure on the sea surface is due to storm category. There are many ways to evaluate these storms and that can make a difference to the boat owner on how he/she prepares the boat. One size does not fit all!!!

Best thing for you to do at this point is read everything and anything you can get your hands on. Use the best possible storm protection equipment you can get. For example, fire hose makes excellent anti-chafe protection, get it free (hose that has been replaced due to expired business inspections) from fire equipment service companies in your area. They have piles of the stuff. That's just one example of what is available to you, and you can't beat the price!

Follow all the storm prep instructions from marine insurers and organizations like Coast Guard Auxiliary, Local emergency management officials, many publications, Boat U.S. and others. There is plenty of information out there. Just don't take any short cuts like using ski rope to secure your boat, yes sir.......people use it all the time believe it or not. Use plenty of good quality heavy duty lines with quality chafe protection. Read booklets on appropriate steps for reducing the boats windage and many other things you can and should do.

To prepare a boat properly can take hours, especially if you are doing it alone. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to take care of the boat and your home and still have time to get out of there if need be before the roads are jammed with evacuee's and you can't get out. Look carefully at your areas projected evacuation times and add a boat and house preperation factor to those times and don't wait until they call for an evacuation to start your preperations, by the time that directive comes you should already be finished and ready to go. It isn't easy at all to decide when to start storm preps. You really have to pay close attention to all storm particulars and forcasted weather patterns that may influenece a storm in the coming days or hours and try and be one step ahead of it. You will waste a lot of effort over the years preparing for storms that never hit but you can rest assured that you were ready and the insurance man would have had no problem paying your claim had events been different. That's very important to remember.

Keep in mind most storms can not be accurately predicted withing 50 -75 miles of accurate landfall over 12 hours out. That means making the decision to prepare doesn't come easy. What I do is watch the basic track and look at the history of tracks for storms in that part of the season and then look at weather features existing and projected that may influence the track. I also consider the category of the storm, the stronger it is the earlier I prepare because that means I may have to get out of here sooner and the more work I may have to do properly prepare the boat for that particular storm intensity.

Boat storm preperation is something you learn over years of doing it, a lot of false alarms but damn good practice. I can think of several times where they missed but just a slight wobble in track would have made all the difference in the world, for example Hurricane Andrew. A 75 mile wobble to the north and it would have tracked over my house and boat. The original track was forcast to do exactly that but instead it travelled more directly westward. That storm was over the Bahamas when I initiated preperations and I'm on Florida's west coast.

So my opinion is that you may need to seek a more protected storm anchorage depending on the storm and surge intensity. Usually boats that remain in marinas tend to sustain more damages usually because owners don't properly prepare their boats and because marina personnel don't have properly prepared storm plans or don't implement them or truly fail to understand the issues regarding boats and these storm systems. Yes by all means you should have complete storm protection equipment and supplies for your boat. Yes, you should seek out a storm anchorage if that is what you determine is necessary in your case after you do your homework and evaluate all particulars in your situation. Yes again, you should haul out if that seems to be the best procedure in your situation. Remember storm anchorages fill up fast and boats need a lot of scope and swinging room so think about alternatives if your area has limited protective anchorages.

My boat remains behind my house and I set 14 different oversized storm lines with proper chafe protection. My CD30 has the usual bow and stern cleats and locking chocks along with midship chocks and two midship cleats on each port and starboard side deck. She also has stainless samson posts on the foredeck and afterdeck. Without those additional cleating points I could never get appropriate storm lines secured to the boat.

I hope this helps you out somewhat and good luck this season.

Saw this post yesterday and realized I had not thought about this. I have read posts in the past that had lots of helpfull information about how to prepare the boat for a storm but I am in a marina so I decided to ask the owner what he usually does for people to prepare for a hurricane or bad storm. He said that he just loosens peoples stern lines so that they will ride out the storm surge (then he threw in the " thats what insurance is for"). Then he held his hand at about 4 feet and said "the water usually gets this high".
At the level indicated the entire Marina is underwater. My marina is literally cut out of a creek bed that empties into the Chesapeake. At high tide the water is often only a few inches below the finger pier. I usually step up to Suzi Q from a pier that is level with land. What this means is that pulling her out of the water is almost out of the question. If she was on jack stands on land and the water was 4 ft deep, she would float away!
.
So, does the Marina Owners solution sound safe? Should I buy some storm gear and seek a hidey hole? Or should I find a marina with higher ground and haul out there?
.
Where is a boat most likely to safely ride out a bad storm, in the water with appropriate measures, or hauled out with similar preparation?

Thanks for any thoughts

Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

[Richard Hill]

Saw this post yesterday and realized I had not thought about this. I have read posts in the past that had lots of helpfull information about how to prepare the boat for a storm but I am in a marina so I decided to ask the owner what he usually does for people to prepare for a hurricane or bad storm. He said that he just loosens peoples stern lines so that they will ride out the storm surge (then he threw in the " thats what insurance is for"). Then he held his hand at about 4 feet and said "the water usually gets this high".
At the level indicated the entire Marina is underwater. My marina is literally cut out of a creek bed that empties into the Chesapeake. At high tide the water is often only a few inches below the finger pier. I usually step up to Suzi Q from a pier that is level with land. What this means is that pulling her out of the water is almost out of the question. If she was on jack stands on land and the water was 4 ft deep, she would float away!
.
So, does the Marina Owners solution sound safe? Should I buy some storm gear and seek a hidey hole? Or should I find a marina with higher ground and haul out there?
.
Where is a boat most likely to safely ride out a bad storm, in the water with appropriate measures, or hauled out with similar preparation?

Thanks for any thoughts

Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25

.......for the East Coast. This one is expected to move away, pushed by an approaching front.

But it's a reminder to get ready for the season if you havn't already done so

John

John R.'s post is really good advice. A marina is the WORST place to leave your boat in a hurricane. Many marinas, in fact, require that you leave before a storm, although I think that's illegal. During Hurricane Frederic, I moved my boat out of the marina to a safer cove, put out two anchors, chafe gear, etc. and stripped everything off the deck that was loose. I also dropped the boom down to the cabin top, resting on an old seat cushion, tied it down securely, and took anything off the boat I didn't want to go to the bottom. The boat was fine, but the marina was wiped out! A CD25 that used to dock next to me was a flat piece of fiberglass about 10-15 feet up in a pine tree! In subsequent hurricanes, I followed the same procedure and never had any damage. Just try to anchor in an area with little fetch. Also, remember to increase your anchor scope to account for the additional depth the storm tide brings, and count on about 10 times that total depth for your anchor scope.

When the storm tide hits, boats typically rise up on top of the pilings and beat holes in the bottom. If the lines break, then you don't know where the boats will end up. Whatever you do, don't even think about staying on the boat!



captrahill@comcast.net

[John Nuttall]

......and I'll bring the Black Seal for the Hurricane Party....hehehe

John
;-]

[John Nuttall]

no comment.... ;-]

J

[John Nuttall]

.....

Will,

John R made some excellent points. I'd like to clarify one for him (he won't mind).

He mentioned the best place for your boat would be hauled, and places near "soft surroundings". By that I am sure he meant away from hard things that could fall on and hurt your boat. Like trees, shed roofs, etc.

What he did not mean is near / on soft ground. If you jack her up on soft ground, the jackstands will sink into the soft ground. Invariably on one side, and she will blow over. so pick some hard ground and jack her good. If ya can't get on hard ground, put some plywood under the stands. Couple of strong steel tent stakes and strong line to guy her off wouldn't hurt either.

You probably know this, so I am really just tossing it out as a reminder to all......heaven knows I need reminders

I'd try to orient her so she does not take the strongest winds beam on. Strongest winds are from the NE, then the SW (depending your distance / bearing to the eye).

'Course, as John R will tell ya, all this is a moot point if it's a direct hit from a Category 4 / 5......... !!!!!

G'luk
John

[John R.]

Don't mind at all John.... by all means the more dialog on an important topic as this the better. This stuff is never discussed enough until after the fact. A Cat 4 or 5 would be quite moot to be sure but still survivable if you do things right and have a little luck stashed in your back pocket. Although I would give her a hug goodbye for good measure and memories sake as I believe John N. would also.


Absolutely never leave the boat on soft sandy ground!! John has noted some important considerations that you must keep in mind when you decide to haul for a tropical system. Most good yard managers are aware of this but it would be quite wise for you to confirm it with them! Don't forget to chain the boatstands together and secure the chains with a heavy padlock or bolt and nylock nut. You can place rocks under the plywood that John mentioned to add denser footing if you have time to deal with it.

The *timeline* is a huge issue in preparing a boat for onslaught of a tropical system. It always takes three times longer than you will plan for in doing prep work. Allow a fudge factor in your timeline.

To add security to your hauled boat while in the stands you can use mobile home anchors screwed into the surrounding soil but they may not be very effective unless you get them down deep because the soil becomes so saturated with water, use at least 4 footers and get three feet of that well into solid ground, not sandy loose soil.

If you or someone else has a small boat like a Typhoon just put her on a trailer and secure the entire load and fill the bilge with water, let the air out of the trailer tires, secure the trailer and boat with mobile home anchors. Take down the rig if possible and secure it to the deck.

Read up on all this stuff, it is common knowledge in may publications and needs to be understood by any boat owner living in a vulnerable area to tropical systems. That means Maine to Texas and certainly don't forget inland areas with proximity to the coast.

Have fun.

.....

Will,

John R made some excellent points. I'd like to clarify one for him (he won't mind).

He mentioned the best place for your boat would be hauled, and places near "soft surroundings". By that I am sure he meant away from hard things that could fall on and hurt your boat. Like trees, shed roofs, etc.

What he did not mean is near / on soft ground. If you jack her up on soft ground, the jackstands will sink into the soft ground. Invariably on one side, and she will blow over. so pick some hard ground and jack her good. If ya can't get on hard ground, put some plywood under the stands. Couple of strong steel tent stakes and strong line to guy her off wouldn't hurt either.

You probably know this, so I am really just tossing it out as a reminder to all......heaven knows I need reminders

I'd try to orient her so she does not take the strongest winds beam on. Strongest winds are from the NE, then the SW (depending your distance / bearing to the eye).

'Course, as John R will tell ya, all this is a moot point if it's a direct hit from a Category 4 / 5......... !!!!!

G'luk
John