"Hurricane-proof" marinas between Tampa and JAX?

[ranger58sb]

Pretty sure our current boat is sold, so we're shopping...

One candidate is near Tampa. If we go forward with that, our follow-on plans could maybe be a bit flexible. We could bring it north immediately, or a bit later toward Fall, or even leave it down there someplace over Winter and bring it up here next March/April.

I know the "proof" part is a stretch, but what I'm wondering about is normally well-protected marinas with decent floating docks, mile high piles... semi-affordable, slips actually available... essentially somewhere my insurance people would approve as part of our hurricane plan if we leave it down there for a while.

Somewhere around Tampa, Ft. Myers, Stuart, further north on Florida's east coast. We already know about (and like) Ortega Landing.

Ideas?

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

From the hurricane strike maps, looks like the St John's River might be the safest based on my research, although I didn't look for protected marinas on that river.

If you could find one great, but otherwise land storage would be advised.

According to my dock mates, the inner harbor of FT Pierce City Marina is rated for CAT 4, the outer floating docks for CAT 3....but it doesn't meet my rating requirements . Though boats have done well there in recent hurricanes that were not direct hits.

I am in Indiantown Marina for the summer on the hard. Not as safe as the St John's area in my opinion, but not 300 miles further from where I winter. Indiantown is just east of Lake Okeechobee on the canal.

 

[angus99]

Pretty sure our current boat is sold, so we're shopping...

One candidate is near Tampa. If we go forward with that, our follow-on plans could maybe be a bit flexible. We could bring it north immediately, or a bit later toward Fall, or even leave it down there someplace over Winter and bring it up here next March/April.

I know the "proof" part is a stretch, but what I'm wondering about is normally well-protected marinas with decent floating docks, mile high piles... semi-affordable, slips actually available... essentially somewhere my insurance people would approve as part of our hurricane plan if we leave it down there for a while.

Somewhere around Tampa, Ft. Myers, Stuart, further north on Florida's east coast. We already know about (and like) Ortega Landing.

Ideas?

-Chris

Exciting times, Chris; good luck.

 

[menzies]

Well we haven't had a hurricane around these here parts since Dora in '64 with the center over St Augustine.

No guarantees though!

However if you are going to schlep all the way up here another day will take you out of hurricane insurance - say St Simons.

 

[Donsan]

Wait until after hurricane season to buy the boat. There is no such thing as a hurricane proof marina in FL. And I have seen plenty of boats sunk or blown into the woods on the St Johns. No hurricane since Dora in 1964? Really? Maybe no directs hits but you don't need direct hits to cause havoc on a marina.

 

[psneeld]

I have seen plentry of boats sunk or blown clear of moorings from northeasters in NJ.(though some nor'Easter have hurricane force winds for part of their life)

Yet I believe there is a big difference of a bad but not historic nor'easter than a direct hurricane hit/ near miss..... the NE coast if Florida has less hits than even the Carolinas for the most part. But yes..... any unprotected area from high winds is susceptible to damage, thus my recommendation for land storage if a suitable marina isn't located.

My insurance company raised my rates when I stayed in South Carolina last summer. They said they consider north of Florida and south of Hatteras a secondary hurricane zone for hurricane season. They also will not insure a boat in Florida at all...even out of the water.

 

[caltexflanc]

Many insurance policies use the Florida/Georgia line as a demarcation, some use Cumberland Island. Brunswick Landing Marina is nicely tucked away and is a good facility, and used to, at least, have it's peak during hurricane season for that reason. Some nice gunkholing north and south of there too. If your insurance is OK with Ortega Landing, that's a pretty sweet facility.

If you really want to get tucked away, then one of the spots on the Okeechobee Waterway east of the lake, like Indiantown which is set up for this very purpose.

 

[rgano]

There is a covered storage facility on on the Caloosahatchee waterway which is quite strong if you are considering storing on the hard. What boat are you buying?

 

[Woodland Hills]

If you are considering Ortega Landing give the marinas farther into the Ortega a look too. They are a bit more sheltered from wind and wave and may be a bit cheaper. Sadler Point, Huckins, Cedar Point and Lamb’s are all in the area. Lamb’s has fixed concrete docks, some with a concrete roof if your air draft is not too high. We have 24’ and nothing touched during Irma in 2018 when the piers were 3’ under water.

If you don’t need the pool and clubhouse amenities at Ortega Landing and just want dockage take a look.

 

[O C Diver]

There are two River Forest Yachting Centers on the Okeechobee waterway, LaBelle and Stuart.

Florida's Indoor/Outdoor Boat & Yacht Storage & Service Facilities

The other marina with a hurricane rated building on the Okeechobee waterway is Sweetwater Landings.

Sweetwater Landing Marina - Home

Ted

 

[Blissboat]

When it comes to Florida marinas, "hurricane-proof" is an aspirational term. In the Tampa Bay area, several places survive near-misses okay - Maximo Marina and the nearby Loggerhead Marina St. Petersburg Marina - Loggerhead Marinas are two that I have sheltered-up in. But when a Cat 4 or more is roaming the Gulf of Mexico, all bets are off. A variation of a few miles in the point of landfall can make all the difference - ask the folks in Panama City, FL.

Various places along the Okeechobee Waterway look good to me. I like LaBelle, near where FF has a well-sheltered place. Indiantown, as mentioned, is an option on the east side of the Lake.

Up here around Jacksonville, the further one moves up the St. Johns River, generally the safer. Lots of boaters like Ortega Landing Marina and their neighbors, Sadler Point, Huckins and Lamb's Yacht Center. There are some inexpensive hideouts a day's run upriver, around Satsuma.

 

[DCDC]

As Ted mentioned the River Forest marinas on the Okeechobee waterway are probably the best. Best check with them as they have subscription haul-out and in-water hurricane plans. The last time I checked they were sold out.

We have been from Stuart south to the Keys and up to Clearwater several times and the best protected marina we saw was Riviera Dunes in Manatee River. Another is Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda. I would be concerned about storm surge as both of these are dead-ends off of large bays. The marinas should be able to advise.

Link to hurricane strike frequency.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/images/strikes_egulf.jpg

 

[menzies]

Another option you could look at is American Custom Yachts up the St Lucie River from Stuart.

They have a few slips there but substantial on-the-hard capability.

Put them into Google Maps and switch to satellite.

 

[rgano]

But when a Cat 4 or more is roaming the Gulf of Mexico, all bets are off. A variation of a few miles in the point of landfall can make all the difference - ask the folks in Panama City, FL.

Yes! I should get a bumper sticker which says, "Ask me about CAT 5 Michael." When Mr Cat 5 comes calling, only a spider web of lines and anchors in a narrow place will save your vessel. Oops, for got about the trees.

 

[Comodave]

Thinking outside the box a bit, but have you thought about going up the Tenn Tom a ways for the hurricane season? It is a bit out of the way but could be a fun cruise and get away from the hurricane zone. I would hate to buy a new boat and loose it before I even had a chance to cruise it.

 

[rgano]

Demopolis, the first place with a marina up the Tenn-Tom at about the 220 mile mark is a place a number of people retreat to for the storm season or just wait at for the end of the season dues to insurance issues. Been there a few times. Good place. I have in the past hosted loopers and others at my two open slips, but if during hurricane season, the owners must commit to moving the boat on a 24-hour notice because that is sometimes all we can get for notice. I once watched over a fellow's boat for the winter, but have decided that is more commitment and responsibility than I want to take on.

 

[O C Diver]

Thinking outside the box a bit, but have you thought about going up the Tenn Tom a ways for the hurricane season? It is a bit out of the way but could be a fun cruise and get away from the hurricane zone. I would hate to buy a new boat and loose it before I even had a chance to cruise it.

I looked at that as an option for this summer if I didn't go North. You have to go to Demopolis, AL to be above most insurance companies hurricane line. Very nice facility there; spent a night there when doing the Great Loop.

http://kingfisherbaymarina.com/

That's a long way to go in the wrong direction if you plan to be on the Atlantic coast.

Ted

 

[catalinajack]

Are you keeping the super max anchor?

Pretty sure our current boat is sold, so we're shopping...

One candidate is near Tampa. If we go forward with that, our follow-on plans could maybe be a bit flexible. We could bring it north immediately, or a bit later toward Fall, or even leave it down there someplace over Winter and bring it up here next March/April.

I know the "proof" part is a stretch, but what I'm wondering about is normally well-protected marinas with decent floating docks, mile high piles... semi-affordable, slips actually available... essentially somewhere my insurance people would approve as part of our hurricane plan if we leave it down there for a while.

Somewhere around Tampa, Ft. Myers, Stuart, further north on Florida's east coast. We already know about (and like) Ortega Landing.

Ideas?

-Chris

 

[ranger58sb]

Thanks, all, for suggestions.

I know we're juggling competing factors -- hurricane season, insurance, excise tax and cap here are slightly lower than sales tax and cap in FL, haul out/dry storage, etc. -- so I dunno what our eventual plan might be.

I tend away from the idea of storage on the hard; do-able, but boring. If the boat stays in the water, we could conceivably "visit" a few times before we actually start to being it north. And leaving it down there until winter would give us a warmer vacation destination again. Except for the possibilities of those pesky hurricanes, etc. And maybe a difference in tax liability (not sure how significant that could be).

At least knowing about potential bail-out options helps me stumble through some planning thoughts...

I looked at that as an option for this summer if I didn't go North. You have to go to Demopolis, AL to be above most insurance companies hurricane line. Very nice facility there; spent a night there when doing the Great Loop.

That's a long way to go in the wrong direction if you plan to be on the Atlantic coast.

Yeah, it'd be good sightseeing, but wouldn't help us get the boat back up to the Chesapeake any faster...

Are you keeping the super max anchor?

Heh... not this time. Partly because I think the next boat might allow using the next size up from this one. Or might need it, too.

-Chris

 

[cardude01]

"Hurricane-proof" marinas between Tampa and JAX?

My boat went through a hurricane on FF’s dock near LaBelle with 80 plus knot winds IIRC and had no damage. It’s protected from tide surges by the nearby lock, and is down in a very protected “hole”. He will rent it out for a small monthly fee. Or he used to do that anyway.

The downside of FF’s dock is it’s in a pretty secluded area of Florida, and it was hard for me to visit the boat. I had to fly into Tampa then rent a car and drive the 2.5 hours there.

 

[jhall767]

How much extra is the insurance if you don't get the boat out of Florida?

Also I think your biggest expense could be taxes if you keep it in Florida more than 6 months and then move it to Maryland permanently. You could get taxes by each state.

 

[rgano]

How much extra is the insurance if you don't get the boat out of Florida?

Also I think your biggest expense could be taxes if you keep it in Florida more than 6 months and then move it to Maryland permanently. You could get taxes by each state.

I don't have named storm insurance; so it's no more for me as a permanent resident. Since moving here in 1990, I have lost count of how many hurricanes I have prepared my boats for including survival of Cat Five Michael which was a direct hit. So nope, never gonna need named storm insurance. Others are certainly not going have my knowledge and skills or best of all my luck, so it's off to the insurance store for them.

 

[ranger58sb]

How much extra is the insurance if you don't get the boat out of Florida?

Also I think your biggest expense could be taxes if you keep it in Florida more than 6 months and then move it to Maryland permanently. You could get taxes by each state.

I dunno about insurance yet.

We bought our last boat in FL when we lived down there... and when we brought it here, MD didn't charge any extra tax. Not too worried about state vs. state, although I'll prefer to pick the less expensive of the two options if possible...

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

My insurance, liveaboard policy, went up $200 when I spent the summer in Myrtle Beach versus NJ.

When I decided to stay in Florida, they wouldnt insure at all. Switched to Geico/BoatUS, went up $200 and dropped liveaboard coverage. Thats even out of the water for hurricane season....so not a big deal for me dropping liveaboard....and it can be in the water down there all year.

Makes no sense to me....but making it work.

 

[ranger58sb]

My insurance, liveaboard policy, went up $200 when I spent the summer in Myrtle Beach versus NJ.

When I decided to stay in Florida, they wouldnt insure at all. Switched to Geico/BoatUS, went up $200 and dropped liveaboard coverage. Thats even out of the water for hurricane season....so not a big deal for me dropping liveaboard....and it can be in the water down there all year.

Makes no sense to me....but making it work.

Yeah, I'm thinking I could live with some small-ish and/or temporary insurance upcharges for coverage during a "sort of in transit" situation... but obviously no coverage at all won't work.

Do you mean you switched residency to FL, the whole nine yards? Didn't realize that...

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

I did switch residency...decided visiting spread out family was easier at 60 knots over 6.

Floroda winter boat.....Travel sommer RV

 

[ranger58sb]

Ah. Nice.

We liked our time in FL, would move back in an almost-heartbeat, but... haven't found an actual house (condo, townhouse, whatever) that would be a substantive improvement... and we really do like boating on the Chesapeake.

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

If my boat was faster and ocean going...I might still be a snowbirder.

 

[ranger58sb]

If my boat was faster and ocean going...I might still be a snowbirder.

Well, we could do that... but it's a lotta work, lots o' fuel... and we're fair weather cruisers to the extent possible, so picking offshore weather/sea states would become more of a priority for us...

And we find navigation at 8 knots is really a lot more pleasant than at 18-20 kts.

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

For parts of the ICW, yep, my 6.3 knots with no wake is nice.....

.....but for those areas that are wide open and not much to see, cutting the snowbirding time to half or more would make it more appealing for me.