HURRICANE STORM YACHT PREPARATION ... boat remaining in the water

I have been asked by a number of people to QUICKLY record what it was we did to tie down and prepare our yacht for Isaac (Tropical storm / hurricane threat). I was overwhelmed with in excess of 260 people reading our blog on the storm today ... so I will try my best to share what I can ...


Here is a rough description of what we did and what was described to us by the local skippers who have been doing this for years in the BVI's .... people who themselves have had their yachts survive hurricanes at the dock ... people like Gareth Donaldson and others ... We are grateful for the years of experience shared with us

Apart from the odd gust of wind and tropical rain downpour, all seems to be back to normal here in the BVI’s … yachts were seen leaving once again to explore the islands with guests on board despite a ‘lumpy sea’ and tonight the wind is ‘deadly still’.

It always amazes me … the quiet before and after a storm … it kind of leaves one wondering if it were all a dream or not!

Of course the reality is that tropical storm Isaac is still alive and kicking as it continues to circulate and gather momentum toward the USA.

I have been looking at the facebook page posted by Just Catamarans in Florida and see that Kent is massively busy with getting yachts ‘hurricane ready’ in time for Isaac.

Talking about getting yachts ready for hurricanes, I thought I may share some of the things I have observed and learnt from the very experienced skippers here in the BVI’s who have been doing this year in and year out.

Of course the first choice one is faced with before hurricane season approaches is:

·        Do we haul out or do we stay in the water?

For us it is not a choice … we are cruising and this is our home so we are to stay in the water.

Of course one could decide to come out of the water for the period the hurricane is a threat, but in most cases the dry stacking areas are fully occupied and there is no room for your boat.

So our prep has been around our yacht staying in the water … our assistance to others to prep the many yachts in the Moorings fleet has been for yachts staying in the water and it is on this basis I have spent much time gaining knowledge from others here.

So, staying in the water requires the following:

·       Where to stay is the first question .... this really limits one to the following

o   A dock in a marina or elsewhere

o   In a hurricane hole between the mangroves

o   At anchor or on a mooring

Of course all of these factors require a suitable 'hiding place' (hurricane hole) which is best sheltered not only from wind, but especially sea surge and swell.

Sea surge and swell is apparently the biggest culprit for boats lost during a hurricane.

Let’s look at the dock.

Ideally one wants to find a dock well sheltered from sea surge, swell and wind.

It is senseless to choose a dock which during a period where surge is running at an all time high places the top of the dock below water level … need one expand on that!

So, the dock should be of adequate height so as to remain above sea level at all times.

The dock should be solid enough (such as concrete) to withstand the forces exerted on it by the sea and your boats force being exerted on it, especially the dock tie down ‘cleats or stanchions’, whatever it is you tie onto.

DOCK AND FENDERS:

The dock should have a means whereby you can tie tyres down the sides to act as ‘buffers’ / fenders should a line break … I heard of more than one person complain about fenders bursting on the dock from the effects of Isaac which just passed us.

The dock should as far as possible have it’s ‘back’ against the prevailing weather and certainly not have the open side to the direction of the in coming swells.

Tyres tied down along the side of the dock can be covered in heavy duty ‘bin bags’ to assist with the prevention of scuffing marks on your boat, however chances are they (the plastic bags) won't last … we did it anyway.

Secondly, the odd tyre clad in heavy duty plastic bags tied along the side of your yacht and placed between fenders is not going to do any harm … if your boat does break free at least there is some additional protection.

Speaking to the lads who found their fenders had popped, it was evident that the fenders were pumped and firm. 

In discussion with them, it was agreed that perhaps a slightly less inflated fender would have a better chance to ‘give’ under load, and the thought was then to have ‘slightly under inflated’ fenders tied down the sides.

A very important factor I was being constantly reminded of as we prepared the charter yachts for the mangroves, was to always keep fenders away from windows. 

You do not want a fender under load to be sandwiched between a solid dock or boat and your window … guess which one is going to break and where water will run into!

RAIN AND WATER INGRESS:

Talking about rain … it pours down in buckets in these storms and add exceptionally strong wind to that … water will find it’s way into your boat, especially if you have not checked and maintained the rubber seals around hatches and other places which open and shut. (if you are not 100% sure your hatches will stay leak free ... use duck tape to seal them).

For this reason it is essential to make sure all bilge pumps are fully operational, that your pumps will have enough continuous power to cope with a storm during the period of the storm, and that they work even after the power switches to your boats electrics have been turned off!

TIE DOWN ROPES:

The ropes and the method you use to tie your boat to the dock with, is one of the most important factors which will determine whether your boat survives a storm or not.

Rope stretch and strength is vitally important as is the diameter and length.

We opted to use two types of lines on our boat … I was told it was a bit of an overkill but since I carry these lines I decided to use them anyway.

I was advised by a number of skippers never to use the braided 'cover type' dock lines for tying down a boat facing a severe storm or hurricane.

The ropes most used here and the one I used is the normal white 3 stranded twisted nylon rope one sees being used on boats and anchor lines after the chain. 

The thickness of rope I chose for our boat (and once again I was told it is ‘overkill’) is 23/24 mm diameter (0.9”).

I, in addition, also used a ‘multi braided 12 strand’ black dock line which is about 26/27 mm dia (1”).

The beauty about this rope is that it consists of 12 strands each being about 6mm dia woven in pairs. The rope has good stretch qualities, is flexible but unfortunately does not hold up well to chafe on hard corners or sharp bends.

TIE DOWN WEB:

As stated above, we opted for two rope types following the same ‘path’ to tie Impi down with. My reasoning for this was that if one rope failed, there was a second type to support the vessel.

Most boats at the dock were relying on a thinner 3 stranded twisted nylon … I guess I like ‘over engineering’ for safety!

Our boat was longer than the fingers of the dock ... bow protrudes ...

The method of tie down between two concrete fingers leading onto a walkway to the stern were as follows: (bear in mind the vessel is a bit longer than the fingers on the dock).

Starting with a bowline (knot) on the front (bow) cleat, the rope is led to the end ‘bollard’ of the finger of the dock where it flows through a rolling lock hitch and leads to the mid cleat of the boat and is cleated off on a figure of eight … follows the same path in reverse to the bollard on the finger through another rolling lock hitch back to the front cleat on the boat where it is locked off in a figure of eight above the bowline (knot).

(In my case I did the same with a different style of rope following the same path).

Another length of rope is taken, a bowline tied over the rear cleat of the boat to the bollard near the rear of the finger (dock) and runs through a rolling lock hitch to the midship cleat where it is locked off in a figure of eight … follows the same path back to the bollard through a rolling lock hitch and back to the rear cleat where it is wrapped in a figure of eight and locked off.

The same is done on the opposite side of the boat and on the opposite finger.

The stern is then secured as follows … a rope is tied using a bowline knot and slipped over the rear cleat leading diagonally across the stern of the boat to a bollard on the finger in line with (or past) the opposite hull where it goes through a rolling hitch and follows the same path back to the rear cleat.

The same is done for the rear cleat on the opposite side, such that the lines cross over each other from side to side diagonally across the rear of the boat … this prevents the boat swinging from side to side.

Bear in mind, that enough rope needs to be put out to allow for storm surge, so depending on the width of the dock and length of lies from the dock, you will either be able to pull the lines in tight or may have to provide a bit of slack.

Be sure the rolling lock hitches are properly done in that the line enters and leaves the bollard in the ‘direction of pull’.

One does not want sharp angles to the rope which will cause chafe and will also result in not being able to remove the rope … the rope must enter the bollard and freely loop into the rolling hitch and exit in a smooth line toward the next cleat from the rear of the bollard.

Another important factor is to make sure your cleats are strong enough to take the load. It is one thing being tied down sufficiently but quite another if the cleats break out of your boat. Make sure the nuts below are tightened sufficiently and have adequate backing plates (not just washers against fibre glass).

ROPE CHAFE:

Rope chafe is probably the biggest enemy to the safety of your vessel in a storm.

It is prudent to place chafe guards on ropes where there is a possibility of chafe.

A number of people advised me to use a heavy duty webbed plastic type hose which I purchased at the local marine shop.

Simply cut off a length and slide it over the rope to the point where you want the rope protected. 

No amount of duck tape or cable ties will keep it in place during a hurricane, so what the guys do here is to take a strong needle and twine and literally stitch the hose to the rope in a few places.

WIND RESISTANCE:

Another important factor is wind resistance.

Dock lines will suffer no matter what the situation but they will suffer less with the less wind resistance you have on your boat.

The obvious thing to do is to REMOVE THE GENOA … always do this in severe storms.

Remove the stack-pack and mainsail if possible and if not or if the storm is not as severe, then zip closed and lash the stack-pack down firmly with rope starting at the rear tie the rope securely to the end of the boom bringing it forward and lashing it over the stack-pack and sail at intervals of about 1m apart making sure with every pass the rope is ‘well tight’.

Keep taking the process forward until in close proximity to the mast then tie it off taking the tail around the mast and back onto itself. 

The stack-pack ropes should be loosened off and taut against the mast around a cleat before following the stack-pack back to their ‘tie down’ positions.

A second rope is then taken in similar fashion to the last, this time keeping the stack-pack ropes tied in alongside the stack-pack.

After this process is properly done, the stack-pack should be significantly reduced in size and tightly compressed to the boom.

On my Lagoon, I am able to then lower the boom (relax the topping lift) right onto the coach-roof where it is lashed down.

Remember to also secure the head of the main downwards with a separate rope so it cannot be tempted to lift and flutter in the wind.

It may sound ‘over kill’ but it will mean you can sleep better at night as in some storms you will not be able to go outside to sort out lines that have come loose!

In addition to this, remove all other items such as cushions, bimini covers, canoes, and anything else that could be destroyed by severe wind.

WHAT I DID WITH MY DINGY:

I have solar panels on the back of my boat on top of the davits.

 I am not sure whether they should be removed or not, but general consensus by those here who have prepared boats for years is to leave them on and cover them with a protective covering.

The solar panels act as a great barrier against the dingy filling with rain, since the dingy once hoisted sits just below them.

I always leave the bung in the dingy open and make sure there is nothing left in the dingy that could block the bung hole.

 I know it’s a bit of an over kill (again) but I in addition have a bilge pump in the dingy hooked up to a motor cycle style battery. You do not want a dingy full of water dangling from the davits … they could collapse.

With the dingy fully inflated, I raise it up snugly to the underside of the davits and tied back against the stern of the boat.

I then use cargo straps which I attach to the inside front of the dingy and rear of the dingy over the top of the davits and ratchet the dingy onto the davit making sure the dingy also stays firmly against the stern of the yacht.

I then take a short cargo strap from the base of the dingy engine and ratchet it to the rear cleat of the yacht in a sidewards and upward motion.

Tying the dingy down this way actually lends support to the davits as the dingy is forced into the back of the yacht and the weight of the engine is taken up somewhat by the sideways and upwards pull on the cargo strap.

I have crossed oceans in this manner without having to remove the dingy from its davits complete with engine and all!

In addition to this, I have had handles placed on the solar panel frames onto which I can tie cargo straps to secure the solar panel frame to the coach roof of the boat as well as a separate set to secure it down to a handle on the bottom steps of the hull. 

This way, solar panel frame is secured from being ‘ripped off’ the back of the boat, and further assistance is given to the weight and force exerted to the davits.

All loose items were stored inside the boat and locked down … the canoe was tied down with cargo straps between two small palm trees J