Hurricane Irene Prep

[rghinson]

Here I am with my new to me CD33 and along comes Irene!! I am as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but have spent the day prepping First Star, stripping off all canvas, securing the deck and below and doubling lines. Also used all the chafing gear I could find. First Star is in the best hurricane hole in these parts so I hope all goes well. Can anyone suggest anything else that should be done??

Reid Hinson
CD33 First Star
Oriental, NC

[M. R. Bober]

Here I am with my new to me CD33 and along comes Irene!! I am as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but have spent the day prepping First Star, stripping off all canvas, securing the deck and below and doubling lines. Also used all the chafing gear I could find. First Star is in the best hurricane hole in these parts so I hope all goes well. Can anyone suggest anything else that should be done??

Reid Hinson
CD33 First Star
Oriental, NC

I would suggest contacting the highly esteemed Andy Denmark for any special local information. Do it soon.

Mitchell Bober
Sunnu Lancaster, (Where we are right behind you.) VA

[kerlandsen]

I have read what I can, been close to a few.

I recall reading a few years back in my Boat US magainze about a marina that had one row of docks creamed, and the next row, just fine. Go figure.

Is your boat on a dock or mooring. Can you find more chafing protection. I use clear plastic tubing from the Home Depot. Probably go buy some more.

I am currently on a loaner mooring on Cape Cod, hoping to start my family cruise next week. I am ok with delaying that.

Sounds to me like you have made a good start. That is probably more than many people do.

Kyle

[seadog6532]

I have found some boat owners do nothing to get ready for bad weather. Their boats become the bull in the china shop when they break loose. Do everything you can to secure your boat, but you may have to put extra line on boats near you if the owner will not. This is a problem we have had to face every time we have had bad weather in a marina. Many marina's will require the owners to secure their boats or charge them if the marina staff has to do it, but most marina's are too busy hauling boats to spend much time securing poorly secured boats.

[rghinson]

I am on a dock.

Best,

Reid Hinson
CD33 First Star
Oriental, NC

[M. R. Bober]

In no particular order:
Set your dock lines so that they can be adjusted from the dock. You will not want to try to board the boat to adjust those lines.

Run as many lines from your boat to the pier and the shore (if you can). Use anti-chaffing gear everywhere.

Consider getting hauled out.

Charge your batteries and make sure that your bilge pump is set for AUTO.

Run a hand line along the pier. It may be way under water, and you will feel safer walking on the pier with a hand hold.

Clear the decks. Secure loose cabin gear.

Lock the helm with the rudder amidships.

Remove all sails and canvas.

Replace vent funnels with deck plates.

Set fenders and fender boards.

Get off of the boat.

If you are in an evacuation zone, leave.

Be careful and hope for the best.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Where we remember Isabel.) VA

[Neil Gordon]

I am on a dock.

More fenders. Don't hold back.

[Zeida]

Reid... can you get hauled out at this time? That's the best option. If you have to stay put, REMOVE SAILS! Everything topsides. I remove the wheel, lower the boom to cockpit and tie it down firmly. Double up on lines. Fenders between boat and dock should have lines under the keel that tie up to the other side of boat so they do not jump from their positions.

just yesterday I finished getting my 33 ready for Irene, to find out early this morning that we were out of the cone and Irene was heading out to you... horrible! Maybe something will happen and it will move further east for you guys too. I will be praying for all of you. What a bummer!

[bhartley]

take pictures. If you share a slip or have any concerns about neighboring boats, etc., take pictures of them too. Show that you went above and beyond in insuring that your boat is secure (double check hoses and seacocks too) and that you can prove it if the need arises.

I would also check with your insurance company that your policy is in good standing.

Now you have time, but the clock is ticking.

Keeping my fingers crossed that Irene treats everyone as gently as possible.

[Johnd]

Thanks for the great ideas here. I will have my 22 hauled out if she keeps her path up the Chesapeake Bay area. Boat US insurance apparently pays half of the haul out fees if pulled within the 3-day updated arrival.

Let's hope she goes EAST!

Earthquake today, Hurricane this weekend...Yikes.

[Andy Denmark]

Reid,

We haven't met and I'm not sure this is the best occasion to do that. Maybe when this thing blows over?

I could have sworn I saw a Typhoon on a trailer in front of Down East Canvas the other day with "First Star" on the transom???

Anyway, if you are at River Dunes then you are probably okay at a dock -- 'nuf said. Second choice would be Sea Harbour Yacht Club in Pierce Creek. If you are at a private dock then I'd suggest you anchor out for maximum safety. The upper end of Broad Creek, 1/2 mile up from Boone Docks westward, is excellent holding and almost 360 degrees protection with minimum fetch. Bahamian moor works well if you have sufficient anchors and lots of chain. The consignment store has all of the above if you want to save some $$$.

My home is in that area and I will anchor my boats there tomorrow.

The biggest problem is not wind but high water. At a dock there is the problem of constantly having to adjust mooring lines with changing water levels. This becomes impossible when the winds get high. Somehow I don't feel you need to hear this but basically the idea is to keep the boat away from anything harder than water.

There are a couple of marinas where you definitely don't want to be berthed during a blow but I won't mention them in public. Call me if you want to discuss. I'm in the phone book or at 670-4207 (cell).

Look forward to meeting,

Andy

[Neil Gordon]

At a dock there is the problem of constantly having to adjust mooring lines with changing water levels.

Note the astronomical high tides Sunday and Monday, around 11 1/2 feet in Boston vs. a mean of about 9 1/2. We have nothing to adjust here, with floating docks, but there's only so much height to the pilings that hold the marina together.

[Maine_Buzzard]

Have decided to haul Guppy in Portland, ME. $300 Round trip, $15 per day on the hard. Cheaper than a single scratch on the fiberglass.

[Maine Sail]

I am on a dock.

More fenders. Don't hold back.

And make sure your spring lines don't stretch too far so that your bow or stern impinges on the dock..

These two found the bottom because the spring lines allowed too much stretch..



Word is this boat went down for the same reason, smashing into the dock:

[Steve Darwin]

I recall reading about the great hurricane damage caused to boats in Florida marinas where the boats were tied to pilings. When the pilings were overtopped by the storm surge, the boats were carried onto them - impaled on the piling.

The mooring chapter in Chapman's has or had a description of the effects of a hurricane in a northeast harbor, where almost all the boats dragged their moorings to shore. The moorings that did not drag were secured by multiple anchors. So it might be wise to attach every anchor you have to the bottom of your mooring topchain and deploy them out in several different directions. The effect of the multiple anchors is to keep the mooring's bottom chain on the bottom.