During a hurricane, which would you consider to be the safer place for
your boat, a slip or on a mooring?
I'd think that theoretically a mooring should be safer since there is
nothing for your boat to hit.
Would it make sense for some marinas to have emergency moorings to be
used only when a hurricane approaches?

Harry, this is a thought experiment and I am sure you realize that all
other conditions are equal and the moorings and docks are infinitely
strong etc.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Harry, this is a thought experiment and I am sure you realize that all
other conditions are equal and the moorings and docks are infinitely
strong etc.


The slip is closer to the beer.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

wrote in
oups.com:

During a hurricane, which would you consider to be the safer place for
your boat, a slip or on a mooring?
I'd think that theoretically a mooring should be safer since there is
nothing for your boat to hit.
Would it make sense for some marinas to have emergency moorings to be
used only when a hurricane approaches?



Here, judge for yourself. Over on alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean I
have posted pictures I saved someone else took after a hurricane passed
over Grenada last year....

My answer to your question is NEITHER! Your boat will simply be destroyed,
one way or another.

Some idiots elected to drive their sailboats up creeks and rivers in
Charleston during Hugo in '89. Unable to cope with 200 mph winds, 30'
storm surge tides under 30' swells and wind whipped waves, they ended up
aground many miles from any water after the storm was over. Two such
sailors were ham radio operators I know. We eventually got help for them
to rescue them off their boat far inland in the SC swamps.

Abandon the boat and take your insurance policies with you. You're going
to need them.

During a hurricane nothing is safe. No two hurricanes are the same. Even
houses on land will be subject to wind damages and more. Some giant break
water may offer some protection, again this is subject to the hurricane
intensity, the surges and tides.
Under normal storm conditions at about 60 Knots of wind a mooring could be
safer?
Conversely I have seen boats in slips withstanding 60 Knots of wind all
night.
Moorings do drag under heavy surge and high tides. Your mooring is only as
strong as the two bolts that hold your cleats. At our club we do not have a
breakwater. All members are require to have a mooring. When the wind gets
over (40 - 45 Km) 25 knots, the people in the slips are asked to move their
boat on their mooring. Our harbor master keeps a list of all the moorings
and inspection dates. In salt water chain and shackles need to be replaced
more often then in fresh water.

"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
wrote in
oups.com:

During a hurricane, which would you consider to be the safer place for
your boat, a slip or on a mooring?
I'd think that theoretically a mooring should be safer since there is
nothing for your boat to hit.
Would it make sense for some marinas to have emergency moorings to be
used only when a hurricane approaches?



Here, judge for yourself. Over on alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean I
have posted pictures I saved someone else took after a hurricane passed
over Grenada last year....

My answer to your question is NEITHER! Your boat will simply be
destroyed,
one way or another.

Some idiots elected to drive their sailboats up creeks and rivers in
Charleston during Hugo in '89. Unable to cope with 200 mph winds, 30'
storm surge tides under 30' swells and wind whipped waves, they ended up
aground many miles from any water after the storm was over. Two such
sailors were ham radio operators I know. We eventually got help for them
to rescue them off their boat far inland in the SC swamps.

Abandon the boat and take your insurance policies with you. You're going
to need them.

My question was not about staying on your boat during a hurricane,
after all, natural selection is wonderful thing. However, after tying
up my boat I simply check my insurance policy and go home.
Nor was my question about such a large storm surge that nothing can
survive. I am simply curious about a reasonable surge, say 10'.

My experience is based on the surges produced in the Bay of Fundy and
Kennebassis river.
Using one night spent watching Gloria gusting at 60 knots with about a 10
feet surge my boat got hit by the boat in front. The owner did not believed
it. His boat was still attached to the mooring block. That night about
10 - 15% of the mooring blocks were moved by the surge.
wrote in message
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My question was not about staying on your boat during a hurricane,
after all, natural selection is wonderful thing. However, after tying
up my boat I simply check my insurance policy and go home.
Nor was my question about such a large storm surge that nothing can
survive. I am simply curious about a reasonable surge, say 10'.

Assume well maintained screw in type moorings and well maintained
docks. Assume sufficient length of mooring pendants for surge so as
not to hit other boats.

An additional question:

Is it cheaper to bring docks up to high surge standards or to install
good storm moorings?

Is it cheaper to bring docks up to high surge standards or to install
good storm moorings?
The answer is if you live in a coastal area both the docks and mooring have
to be designed to high surge standards. While at mooring the vacated docks
may break loose and damage boats.
Inland the design may be less rigid
Our docking system is made of 8 feet wide X 16 feet long sections,
I got the corner brackets made of 1/2" thick cold rolled steel. Holes were
not punched but drilled. The 90 degree bending was done on a progressive
press. All steel brackets were checked for bending cracks and faults.
Our mooring system consist of 1" OD + heavy duty chain at the bottom and the
top section is made with 1/2 - 3/4 OD chain. Attached to the top is a 5/8 -
3/4 OD three strand rope. Some boat have two pennant others prefer having
only one.
As for the exact scope of chain and pennant including the weight and shape
of the mooring block you can refer to the Power Squadron standard or the
Army Corps of Engineer. Other have better systems and may tell us about it.



wrote in message
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Assume well maintained screw in type moorings and well maintained
docks. Assume sufficient length of mooring pendants for surge so as
not to hit other boats.

An additional question:

Is it cheaper to bring docks up to high surge standards or to install
good storm moorings?

When isabelle remnants came up the Chesapeake, we had a bit of a storm
surge. Those at the marinas survived fairly well, but if we had
another foot of surge, ever single boat would have been destroyed as
the floating piers would have come off the pilings (they went to the
top of the caps on the pilings as was).

Those on the moorings would have survived a strong surge better, but
had the wind been stonger, they too would have been very vulnerable.

In a hurricaine, you don't want your boat to be around other boats so
both aren't great. Most marina's make the point moot by forcing you to
evacuate you boat anyway. Should I have to choose one, I'd pick a
marina, then I could have the insurance agent drive to the wreckage
fairly easily