2019 Hurricane season has been our first tropical storm season as boat owners. We originally were going to New England and Canada for the hurricane season but changed our minds while in Charleston. We realized that hurricanes can hit anywhere on the USA East Coast so why not have beautiful water so we decided to go to Florida and do some upgrades so we can do overnight, blue water sailing. As soon as we arrived in Florida, tropical storms started becoming active in the tropics.
We did as much reserach as we could to get YINSANITY ready. We found that any way that water can get out of the boat, the wind can blow the water into the boat. We read everything we could and after looking at so many scary pictures, we wanted to do the best we could to prepare the boat. We've been throught two storms already and we docked YINSANITY in a marina and did a haul out. Hurrican season is pricey but it's better to play it safe. Here's what we found in an easy checklist.
Check availability of marinas for accommodations and make reservations early.
Check when bridges will be closed and locked down. Be sure you're prepared to meet the schedules. Plan your move well in advance.
Haul the boat out of the water if possible and tie it down.
If haul out is not possible, put the boat in a Marina.
Marina slip width should be minimum 140% of the beam of your boat. Your boat needs to be able to rise and fall 10' without coming down on a piling.
Piling height should be 6' above highest gunwale point.
The marina should have full-size, driven pilings rather than lumber bolted to concrete.
Tie the boat facing into the wind of the approaching storm, an easterly direction.
Make sure your neighbor's boat is well tied like yours, otherwise his boat will likely wreck yours.
The best arrangement is to have one piling each, fore and aft on the water side so that the boat sets between the dock and outer pilings. Use as many finders as possible.
Never tie to wooden docks because most wooden dock get damaged or destroyed and many pilings will pulled out during a hurricane.
Making the proper attachment to a cleat is very important. You should have an extra set of new, and slightly oversized storm lines. Use new lines for primaries and the normal dock lines as backups or doubles.
When you doubling up the lines, reduce the dependency on a one tie up point. Spread lines to as many different tie points as possible. Consider that under high water conditions, your lines will be angling downward as the water level rises.
Never tie to cleats on pilings. Place the line around the piling by taking only two wraps around the piling, making sure that they do not overlap. Cinch knots or hitches around the piling should not be used as this pinches the rope. It is the friction of the line around the piling that provides 98% of the holding power.
Use lines with properly made eye splices to attache to cleats. Put the eye through the center hole of the cleat and fold it over. Create double lines when possible.
The rule for cleats is, the larger the better; the smaller the cleat, the more it pinches.
For chafe protection, we recommend use a stiff plastic hose, such as old garden hose, to slide over the end of the line. Plastic hose is slippery and resists abrasion better. Drill a hole in each end of the hose and tie it to the mooring lines with nylon string, running the string through the laid line to prevent movement. Don't use rags for chafe protection, they won't do the job.
Anything that increases the windage above the superstructure is called tophamper. Virtually all canvass, tops and sails and enclosures should be removed from the vessel. Outriggers should be removed from the boat, as well as antennas, particularly if they're on a tower.
It's also a good idea to remove the boom, if you can, and lash it down ashore. If not tie it down with rope.
Check all pedestal seats to be sure that they are securely locked. All exterior cushions, even if secured with snaps, should be removed and stored inside.
Remove the Bimini since it won't survive the storm. Remove everything that will be wind or water damaged.
150 mph wind-driven water is going to go right into the engine room vents. If the engine room hull side vents are small enough, they can be taped up with duct tape. If the vent is larger, use a thin piece of plywood and screw it directly into the vent cowl or even the hull side if that's all that is available, and then tape over the edges.
During the reverse side of the storm, the boat may be hit by winds from astern. Prevent water from being driven up the exhaust and into your engines by plugging the pipes.
If you have a generator under an open cockpit deck, cover it with sheet plastic so it won't get wet.
Close the water intake sea cock. If you have the proper size bungs, stop up the exhaust outlet. Tape over with duct tape the fuel and water tank vents on the side of the hull.
All external electronics should be removed. That includes those mounted in covered boxes. The wind force was so great that it bent the plastic doors, creating gaps. If electronics inside boxes cannot be removed, completely tape around the cabinet doors with duct tape to help keep water out. Tape tightly over all instrument faces that can't be removed.
Wind stress often distorts superstructures enough to open up small gaps in window frames and between glass panels. Wind pressures can literally bow window glass and hatchesso all windows should be locked and taped with duct tape. Tape all joints and seams on both sliding and fixed window glass on the outside. If there are window covers, leave them in place but cover with plastic and tape. Also tape around all hatch covers and entrance doors.
The boat will leak. All that stuff packed into lockers needs to be removed. The easiest way to deal with it is to stow it all in heavy trash bags and seal the ends tight. Then stow them tightly in a high corner somewhere.
Take all the bunk and dinette cushions, stand them edgewise and wedge them in place such as around the dinette or a quarter berth. Or place them in plastic plastic bags.
Close all sink and head sea cocks.
Check to be sure that cockpit scuppers are clear. Lock the wheel or lash tiller in the centered position, not to one side.
Remove all equipment attached to the lifelines or pulpits.
When leaving the boat, tape over the companionway hatch joints.
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