Benthic2
Guru
Good luck everyone
Yes but just in the last decade that cone of uncertainty has shrunk greatly.I think the problem with running away from a storm is two-fold. Familiarity and the squirrel connundrum. Presumably you're really familiar with your home port, know what its like in most conditions, have spent time scoping it out etc, and hopefully made plans and arrangements. If you try to outrun the storm you could very well find yourself in an unfamiliar area and in over your head without a lot of options.
The second problem is which way do you run ? 3 or 4 days out there is still a fairly wide cone of uncertainty.....every hour you wait for better intel on the storm path, the closer the storm is. If a storm is 2 days away, you could get 300 miles away, but a storm can be 3-400 miles wide....a slight shift in the track of the storm, and you're dealing with very bad weather on the move, wishing you were back at home.
Normally I would think a haul out would be the safest. ( Logistically and financially complicated though ) Around here most of our marinas are about 10 feet above sea level. I can't imagine a 20 foot surge. As the water level rises crowded storage yards would have boats bouncing up and down on their jack stands and holing the hulls.
OK, all you actual sailors and boat owners. Explain this stuff to a wannabe.
What sort of wave/wind conditions are dangerous in port or at sea? When is it best to haul out?
Would a wise skipper try to dodge the storm or would he take the warning time to haul out and head inland?
8
Yes but just in the last decade that cone of uncertainty has shrunk greatly.
Most storms, even 50 miles in the right direction can be a huge difference. 100 niles and often you can drop 2 levels of hurricane force winds. You often dont have to get hundreds of miles away.
Staying put and hauling in a yard not well protected or knowledgeable might pretty well guarantee damage. Moving and leaving the boat at a well protected yard a 100 miles from the eye is at least bettering your chances in my observation.
Well, just to add to the debate, it appears the USCG moved some or most of their fleet Jax fleet down the St Johns to their favorite hurricane hole which I assume is the Buckman Lock south of Palatka. They started to return north yesterday. Apparently, they weren't taking any chances the track might change to hit north Florida. YMMV.
8
Yes but just in the last decade that cone of uncertainty has shrunk greatly.
Most storms, even 50 miles in the right direction can be a huge difference. 100 niles and often you can drop 2 levels of hurricane force winds. You often dont have to get hundreds of miles away.
Staying put and hauling in a yard not well protected or knowledgeable might pretty well guarantee damage. Moving and leaving the boat at a well protected yard a 100 miles from the eye is at least bettering your chances in my observation.
Assuming you have the time and money to handle the logistics of moving a sufficient distance. The government can, if only because we already fund their considerable supply chain. But for average boaters it's not terribly realistic to move a hundred miles away. Especially not if your home is also in the expected path of the weather.
Over the last 30 years we’ve faced a dozen or more mandatory evacuation orders at our home in southern Louisiana. We use the ICW and already know most “hurricane hole” options on either side. .
But for average boaters it's not terribly realistic to move a hundred miles away. Especially not if your home is also in the expected path of the weather.
It's been interesting to watch the boats at the one marina in Wilmington that has been shown where the boats have been impacted very little.
Just got back from checking on my trawler in Crisfield, MD. There's a 37 Great Harbor that came up from Norfolk, VA to move his boat out of the hurricane warning area.
View attachment 80897
Ted
Watching he various channels, and it looks like lots of folks had to be rescued from New Bern due to the storm surge, rivers rising, etc. Wonder how the marinas fared there ?
Indeed Andy. A number of concerned Aussies have connections with Philippines.Speaking of deadly storms, spare a thought for those in the northern parts of Philippines tonight. A super typhoon(Category 5) 900kl across is due to hit the country tomorrow morning.
Last time one of these hit the the northern islands thousands died.
LOL JDoc I didn't think there were any rec trawlers down there! I'm from Venice and left approx 30 yrs ago! Red Pass and Tiger Pass used to have dozens if not hundreds of tiny canals and they were where we'd put our non trailerable trawlers (shrimp not cruiser). They were lined with oaks and willows which were stronger than any marina pilings.
No idea what is left after decades of erosion since then though.
I got chills seeing the huge boats on top of the levee after Katrina. Knowing how low the river is in summer, it was shocking that the surge was able to put boats that size on top of the levee! And as was typical of every storm before it, there was virtually no national coverage of what happened in Plaquemines Parish.
Got a kick outta seeing the pogey boats sitting across the bottom of the Empire bridge too!
Watching local evening news Channel 13 WVEC here in Norfolk Va, they showed a New Bern marina with floating docks, and there was 2 foot left before the docks floated off the pilings. Big boats bobbing around and some sunk in their slips, just their tops visible moving in the water. Docks were moving up and down quite a bit too, looked like chaos. The marina looked sort of empty, so either people moved out, or those boats sunk.
Link to that video.
https://www.13newsnow.com/video/wea...ence-whips-carolinas-turns-deadly/291-8251947
I've been bounced around on a passenger jet enough to cure my atheism on a fairly clear day.....I can't imagine what its like for those crews that fly through the hurricanes !!
We left the day of the hurricane (Monday) and we were back in Empire Tuesday.
That big girl must be able to lift her skirt n move!
We went back a few weeks after to buy some shrimp and couldn't tell where our house used to be even though we found the parking lot for the post office that was directly across the street! It was covered over by sediment to the point you couldn't even find any foundations on our lane. It was freaky to say the least. We haven't gone back since, but apparently there is nowhere near the amount of people down there (Venice) as before the storm. I heard they even closed our school and started bussing kids up to Buras.
Later in the flight they made some lower penetrations and it scared the piss out of him.