Yikes, another hurricane...

M

marko

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I guess we won't see tide surge projections for a couple of days but it is probably time to begin to prepare.. adding extra lines and unhooking electric lines. What are you doing?
 
If the storm follows the current models, there shouldn't be a tidal surge. The Chesapeake will be on the west side of the storm, so water will not be "pushed up" the Bay from the ocean. I'll wait and see what the wind forecast ends up at, but for now things should be fine. My lines have held through 60mph winds in storms and cold fronts in the winter, so they should be fine as-is. If there's enough of a window Saturday morning, we may start our 10-day trip by running from Pasadena to Solomons and weather the storm out there. Otherwise, we're most likely going to be waiting until Monday.
 
What am I doing? Well, the boat was put on the trailer last Sunday for reasone unrelated to weather so I'm planning on a visit to the package store, check the dock from time to time and watch a bunch of TV.
 
Just had the boat hauled. If the storm stays east, hauling probably wasn't necessary. But as of this morning, there are now 4 of the models that track west of the bay. Most still track east, but there's enough uncertainty that haulout seemed prudent.

Even if the storm stays to the east, there likely will be some surge - just not as significant.
 
I'm curious as to why you would unhook the electric lines? I'm doubling up on my slip lines, but leaving electric hooked up.
 
quote:
Originally posted by cmagic99

I'm curious as to why you would unhook the electric lines? I'm doubling up on my slip lines, but leaving electric hooked up.

Click to expand...


Why put extra stress on the power cord? Do you really need to have your boat powered up 24/7?
I've had 4 boats over the past 16 years at a marina. They are only plugged in when we are onboard.
 
I am not sure how leaving the shore power hooked up but any additional stress on anything, assuming you have a cord of proper length.

I am headed down friday to storm proof the boat...

1. Double up lines. Not redundant, but different cleats to different pilings
2. Put Helm seats in cabin
3. Put Tv, dvd, generator, and radio in the car
4. Tape plastic over cabin windows, bow hatch, and cabin door to keep driven rain out
5. Remove all covers, canvas, and bimini (including poles)
6. Remove Tv, and VHF antennas
7. Duct tape all cockpit deck hatches
8. Seal all vents (fuel/water/bilge)
9. Cover/Seal dash
10. Triple check all lines
11. Say a few prayers
12. Hitch the ski up and head home...

Did I forget anything?

-Shane
 
<<...."Why put extra stress on the power cord? Do you really need to have your boat powered up 24/7?".....>>

You should remove all canvas before storm hits, or the storm will remove it for you. With the canvas off, lots of rain will come in. Bilge piump will be working overtime. So, probably best to leave shore power hooked up to keep batteries charged as long as possible. Sure, you might eventually lose power, but might as well keep the batts charged as long as possible, as the bilge is draining them.
 
If you think I'm doing all that your nuts. Double up the lines, put bumpers around the boat and make sure your boat insurance is paid you are good to go. If anything high winds,15" of rain and water surge should put docks loose wood covered sheds other boats on top of each other.Good luck somethings you just can't prevent from happening,just stay clear of it and let mother nature take it course.
 
Been prepping the house for the last couple of evenings while inspecting for earthquake damage. Heading to the boat now to strap her in tight. I'll let you know how I fared after we get power back. I have an emergency generator for the home, but I imagine I'll be a bit busy to post for the next couple of days.

Mikee,

Did you have a whole house gennie put in when you built the new digs?
 
David,

Well, the emergency genny was on the wish list but lost in the budget. We'll get that done when we are there full-time (next June).
 
I found an excuse to make a customer visit in Salisbury yesterday. While I was there I drove the extra 40 miles to our place near Chincoteague, got things as ready as I could, hooked up the boat trailer and yanked her home. Got back this morning at 1 am. Steady line of traffic including camper trailers and boats coming up route 50 last night. When we turned onto Rt 2 at 11 pm my wife said, "What happened to all the traffic?"
 
Good idea, Larry. My brother-n-law used to live on Chincoteague, so I know it well. It's going to take a beating to say the least.

We've decided to weather this thing out in our home slip in Pasadena. We're tucked up in Rock Creek and will be blocked from the east and north. When the winds clock out of the northwest on Sunday, they won't be much difference strength-wise than what we get in the winter. We'll be spending the weekend on board and will try to take off on our trip on Monday. Hopefully there will be some destinations without damage. Otherwise, I'm going to be doing a lot of anchoring!
 
quote:
Originally posted by samuel

If you think I'm doing all that your nuts. Double up the lines, put bumpers around the boat and make sure your boat insurance is paid you are good to go. If anything high winds,15" of rain and water surge should put docks loose wood covered sheds other boats on top of each other.Good luck somethings you just can't prevent from happening,just stay clear of it and let mother nature take it course.

Click to expand...

Check your insurance policy. Most have a significant deductible for a named storm. Insurance companies do not lose money. You will not be made whole in the case of a claim for damages. Additionally, ALL boating insurance premiums will increase if the number of claims increase. You owe it to your fellow boaters to take care of your boat and reduce the possibility of a claim.
 
Any rule of thumb for what mph wind will tear canvas away? Assuming the track doesn't shift, I'm out of the direct path, and looking at under 40 mph wind, lots of rain. Reluctant to take the canvas down, because it keeps a lot of rain out of the bilge, and off the gauges, switches etc.
 
I look at it this way; how many boats are on the water with canvas up doing 30, 40, even 50MPH? Quite a few. I'm not taking mine down. We only take it down to tow long distances. It stays up all winter and has easily withstood gusts up to 60mph.
 
I can't imagine 40mph wind will tear canvas off if it is in good shape particularly at the seams. Last summer I was cruising at around 25mph trying to get to my marina before a storm hit and ran into the storm head on, it was one of those straight line wind storms that gusts over 60mph and we took it straight on. The combination must have added to quite a shock. The canvas roared like it was gonna go off but it was my eardrums who took most of the damage lol. I slowed down. Canvas took it fine even though it was not really in great shape and two seams had been repaired by my girlfriend just a couple weeks before that after tearing.
 
I would think that canvas is dedinged with wind forces coming from the bow when underway. A 40kn wind coming from the stern or beam could have a different effect. Not sure, just thinking out loud.
 
that's what I'm worried about, especially on the cover for the upper station, that the wind will get up underneath, and tear it off. The marina sent a list if things to do for 'hurricane preparation' and canvas removal was near the top - but that was a few days ago, when it looked like hurricane force winds might be in the area. I'm leaning towards leaving it on, but won't be that surprised if it's gone on Sunday.

good luck everyone, and stay safe.
 
Previous slip we used to take the winter winds from the stern. Now we take them off the port side. Never a problem with the canvas. If it was going to push 80mph or over, that would be different.

As for the "surge" for this storm, I'm with the previous poster as is NWS. While we in the upper Chesapeake might see 1-3 feet above normal at high tide, we really need to prepare for the blow-out tide on Sunday. Those not around to adjust lines might have a bit of a surprise.
 
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