As Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas and two other hurricanes are churning in the Atlantic we are about to leave the calm beauty of Steamboat and head back to our boat in the Chesapeake Bay. We will be hundreds of miles from Hurricane Florence but we still wonder…are we crazy? Well – we hope not.
Respecting Hurricane Season
As sailors, we have learned to adjust our schedule according to hurricane season. The season officially runs from June 1 through November 30 with the highest probability of tropical storms in the Atlantic basin generally found between August and October. It’s a fact of life for blue water sailors and we’ve learned that surviving the season, wherever you are, is a matter of planning, preparation and a bit of luck.
What Does Your Insurance Policy Allow?
Our boat insurance sets the parameters of where we keep the boat during hurricane season. For a price, you can find someone to insure your boat wherever you are. But for the best rates, most insurance companies require that you have a hurricane preparation plan and that your boat be above 30° N latitude (about the Georgia/Florida border) during the official hurricane season.
First-hand Hurricane Experience
We’ve had mixed experiences dodging hurricanes over the years. Our first hurricane was in 2003. Our family was sailing in New England, too far north to worry about hurricanes, or so we thought. We had to take our boat up the Connecticut River and find a protected mooring to hide from Hurricane Isabel. More recently, after careful preparation, Snowcat II endured the fringes of Hurricane Irma as it crashed the Florida Keys, about 100 miles southwest of our dock in Ft Lauderdale. This time we were back in Steamboat watching the hurricane coverage on the television while Dean nervously read the fine-print on our insurance policy.
Preparing the Boat for a Hurricane
Here are the steps that we follow to prepare our boat (and ourselves) for a potential hurricane:
During the hurricane season, Dean starts every morning with a quick look at the Max Tracker App run by a Miami weather forecaster. It follows tropical storms as they spin off the coast of Africa and shows the projections of their possible paths. To get a more detailed analysis, he goes to the NOAA National Hurricane Center. We track the progress of every Atlantic tropical storm and if one even hints that it is turning in our direction, we start to implement our “hurricane plan”.
- If we’re on the boat, we get the (insert foul language of choice!) out of there. We’ll pull out the charts and compare the potential track and speed of the hurricane relative to our position and then analyze our options for a safe protected anchorage. It’s always a bit of a guessing game, but you’re just trying to move further from the probable track to improve your odds a bit, and find a safer place to settle in. That’s exactly how we ended up in the Connecticut River in 2003.
- Once settled, we actually have a written plan specifying all of the things we do to get the boat and ourselves ready. The two primary objectives are to get the boat anchored or tied up securely to ensure it will stay put out of harm’s way and then remove everything from above the decks, including sails, to reduce the “wind profile” of the boat. What we do with ourselves will depend on the situation with the boat and our location. During Isabel, we took our boat papers and insurance policy and holed up with Jack and Ben in a Holiday Inn for a few days, no problem. In more remote areas we might choose to stay with the boat.
As always, personal safety is the highest priority for all of our weather decisions. With good planning and just a little luck, we hope to make it through another season without a big blow hitting the boat.
Currently Snowcat is “on the hard” (out of the water on blocks) in a shipyard located in the far northeast corner of Chesapeake Bay, a reasonably safe location. Our plan is to get her launched in late September and cruise the northern Chesapeake Bay through most of October before starting a slow “follow the changing colors” trip south down the coast.
4
Mike Zopf
A great post Karen. I enjoy learning about all the practical planning that you put into your sailing trips. Stay safe and keep writing!
Karen
Thanks for the comment Mike! I hope that you are getting your sailing fix these days.
Edie
We'v been thinking of you and Dean. Glad you and Snowcat II are safe. Wishing you happy sailing! It was great to spend time with you in Palisade.
Karen
It was great seeing you and Mike in Palisade. Keep us posted on his winter sailing adventure!
Bruce Cunard
Glad the boat is safely on the hard, I assume at Georgetown Yacht Basin. This one looks like a soaker!
Karen
You're right Bruce, we're at the Georgetown Yacht Basin...still getting repairs. We hope to be in the water by the end of the month. Thanks for checking in!
Lyndy
Girl Scout preparedness comes in handy many times in life! You guys have learned from your own experiences and the research you have done. Always worry about you when the weather turns nasty any you are in the path.
Joanne Littlefield
Hey if you're stopping off anywhere from Savannah, Jekyll island down to Jacksonville, let me know, and I'll run over to meet you for dinner, lunch, brunch or something. Be safe and have fun.
Karen
Joanne- Our plan is to spend Thanksgiving in Charleston, then leave the boat around Jacksonville for the Holidays. We’d love to share a meal on the boat with you. Let’s stay in touch!
Millie
Glad to be signed-up for blogs. Love living vicariously! Looking forward to your adventures but , for now, Good plan - on the hard. Go be a tourist somewhere, inland.
Jan DePuy
Thanks for the post! I've been thinking about you guys and wondering if your boat was in the path of the hurricane. Glad to hear you're in a relatively safe area!
Karen
Thanks for checking in Jan! We're headed back to Snowcat, but we'll be back in Steamboat for the Holidays...we'll make sure to get together then.
Mary Taylor
Being prepared is everything - then expect what you didn’t plan for. I was 9 years old when we were caught in the tailwinds of hurricane Hazel. Our boat was slammed by the winds smashing the tops of the waves into our boat like we were caught in a waterfall. We would slide down the deep swells, water would lap onto the catwalk, the boat would groan, but somehow managed to right enough to fly up the other side of the huge swell. Repeat. Repeat. Only a grommet and strings left from an outside flag. My dad had sent a Mayday but there was nothing they could do. We made it. We were just incredibly lucky. I always respect Mother Nature. You never know.
Karen
Wow-Mary, what an experience. All of the reports about Hurricane Florence are saying that it compares to Hurricane Hazel (1954)...and you were out it in? - oh my. The good news is that these people have had a week to prepare. Thanks for sharing your story!
Helena
Hope Snowcat II weathers the storm safe and sound.
Karen
Thanks for thinking of us Helena. I hope that Hurricane Florence isn't as bad as it looks, but Snowcat is safe and sound.