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#1
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Boat survivability during hurricane
We recently dodged a bullet here in St. Petersburg with hurricane Charley,
so a question comes to mind. Is a sailboat more likely to survive a hurricane with minimum damage by a) tying it in a marina slip, or b) putting it at anchor well offshore of a sandy beach or mangrove area. I've seen pictures of boats beat to pieces in marinas and other boats washed up on a beach but looking relatively undamaged. And I've heard of people putting there boats in the mangroves during a storm. Another question is that here on the gulf it's relatively shallow a long way off the coast, but is it legal to leave an unattended boat anchored off shore. Chuck |
#2
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chuck h wrote:
We recently dodged a bullet here in St. Petersburg with hurricane Charley, so a question comes to mind. Is a sailboat more likely to survive a hurricane with minimum damage by a) tying it in a marina slip, or b) putting it at anchor well offshore of a sandy beach or mangrove area. I've seen pictures of boats beat to pieces in marinas and other boats washed up on a beach but looking relatively undamaged. And I've heard of people putting there boats in the mangroves during a storm. Another question is that here on the gulf it's relatively shallow a long way off the coast, but is it legal to leave an unattended boat anchored off shore. The legal issue would only arise if your boat damages somebody elses property. As for the others... how secure is the marina? How well sheltered? How tall & how secure are the pilings? How good are your docklines? How bad is the hurricane going to be? Anchoring offshore stikes me as a bad idea unless you really can't get to any sheltered anchorage with good holding. Hurricane winds, surge, and waves are likely to rip any ground tackle loose. A possible dodge I have tried is putting a bundle of cinderblock on the anchor chain as a kellet. Increases holding power dramatically but I wouldn't want to anchor my own boat in open water even on 1" chain, 100# anchor, and a whole brickyard. Open exposure to winds is also likely to produce max damage to the boat. You may get dismasted and/or get the ports blown in. The ideal would be 1- above a set of lock gates, secured with ample fenders & chafe gear to a secure bulkhead 2- anchored on oversized ground tackle well up a creek with high banks and firm mud bottom with no other boats around 3- out of the water, well above any possible storm surge, with tie downs. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
#3
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On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 20:28:42 GMT, "chuck h"
wrote: is it legal to leave an unattended boat anchored off shore. ============================================== It's legal if you display proper lights and signals but it's also unwise. The forces are enormous in unprotected water and there's a high probability of losing the boat. Your best option is a small protected area well inland. We took our Grand Banks 49 up the Okeechobee Waterway to a sheltered spot 60 miles upriver. We had no problems at all nor did any of the other boats near us. Don't wait until the last minute however because the locks and bridges were closed the morning of the storm. |
#4
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"Wayne.B" wrote in message
... snip It's legal if you display proper lights and signals but it's also unwise. The forces are enormous in unprotected water and there's a high probability of losing the boat. Your best option is a small protected area well inland. We took our Grand Banks 49 up the Okeechobee Waterway to a sheltered spot 60 miles upriver. We had no problems at all nor did any of the other boats near us. Don't wait until the last minute however because the locks and bridges were closed the morning of the storm. Agree. My neighbor in Matlacha with a 36' trawler did wait but still came out OK. Charley came across Pine Island between Pineland and Bokeelia, which put it 10 miles max as the crow flies from our houses. He put some extra lines across the canal to hold it off the dock and suffered no damage, other than a couple of the 4 foot waves coming down the canal coming up over the stern. Mayday |
#5
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On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 22:19:55 -0400, "Mayday"
wrote: He put some extra lines across the canal to hold it off the dock and suffered no damage, other than a couple of the 4 foot waves coming down the canal coming up over the stern. ========================= Was that in Cape Coral? |
#6
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A trimaran broke loose during the height of Charlies
intensity(~50knts), Its my understanding this was in Newfound Harbor (Big Pine Key) and the trimarans mast hit the power lines and knocked power out throughout the Lower Keys. One of the weekly newspapers reported the owner was liable for the $3,800 tow and another $3000 to be recovered by the electric company to cover damage to their equipment and their response... DSK wrote: The legal issue would only arise if your boat damages somebody elses property. |
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