First hurricane possible for the Caribbean

[davethedog]

We have friends out there. One in Prickly Bay, Grenada, was lost on the rocks and another was on the hard in Carriacou that has been severely damaged. Not good at all!

This is the beach in Prickly Bay...

 

[capnsensible]

A friend of ours has spent a lot of years on his liveabord yacht, cruising the Windies. He had planned to sail south a couple of weeks ago from St Maarten where he is currently anchored. Got held up waiting for some parts to repair his autopilot. Dodged a bullet.....

Just heard from 2 other friends with boats ashore I Spice Island yard, Grenada. No damage.

Lady luck, eh?

 

[Sea Change]

We have friends out there. One in Prickly Bay, Grenada, was lost on the rocks and another was on the hard in Carriacou that has been severely damaged. Not good at all!

This is the beach in Prickly Bay...
View attachment 179435

Very sad. Prickly has little protection to the south.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Very sad. Prickly has little protection to the south.

Friend of a friend slept onboard his boat just along the coast from Prickly Bay. Max wind where he was, was 37 knots. He slept through everything.

 

[Sea Change]

Friend of a friend slept onboard his boat just along the coast from Prickly Bay. Max wind where he was, was 37 knots. He slept through everything.

The bays to the east of Prickly have reefs to shelter them. Much better place to be.

 

[john_morris_uk]

The bays to the east of Prickly have reefs to shelter them. Much better place to be.

Agreed. I hope people won’t mind if I’m not explicit about where they were. My friend moors his boat there and I suspect the biggest danger is other boats pitching up and anchoring but then dragging down into him!

Bit like some of the boats in the mangrove in Carriacou. Perhaps some might have survived if they hadn’t been pummelled and crushed by other boats. No blame to anyone attached or intended. It’s just the way things are in big storms.

There but for the grace of God go we all.

 

[Sea Change]

Update: heard from the family we know who had tied up in the mangroves and sheltered ashore. They're fine, and so is their boat!
They sent some pictures of our boat. There's good and bad there.
The mast appears intact. All we've lost off the deck is one of the large solar panels. The dinghy looks fine (wow!). Can't see anything wrong with the keel or rudder, although probably hard to tell from these photos.

That's the good news. The bad news is there's some pretty serious damage to the hull where it hit the ground. Sure it's just grp work but I'm worried about ensuring we can get the hull back in to the correct shape. Time to seek some advice.

The crack isn't visible in the photo but they sent me a video showing it. I'll see if I can take a still from that and post it.

 

[Sea Change]

Hard to gauge the size of the crack from this, but you get the idea. It's not great. We're really not going to know until the boat is upright again.

 

[dunedin]

Hard to gauge the size of the crack from this, but you get the idea. It's not great. We're really not going to know until the boat is upright again.

Sorry to see the crack. The good news is that GRP repairs are easier to DIY than extruding a new mast, so hopefully you will be able find a repair solution - even if inelegant patch but enough to get the boat to somewhere can do a full repair.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Sorry to see the crack. The good news is that GRP repairs are easier to DIY than extruding a new mast, so hopefully you will be able find a repair solution - even if inelegant patch but enough to get the boat to somewhere can do a full repair.

Agreed. It will all depend on what might have been damaged internally. Hopefully lots of grinding, woven matting and epoxy will regain the hull’s integrity & strength. Hopefully no great damage internally. Getting it to look cosmetically perfect is a more of a challenge but easy enough for a professional GRP repairer and can wait if necessary.

 

[Tradewinds]

For those who would like to help in some way

GRENADA DISASTER RELIEF FUND ACTIVATED – Grenada High Commission UK

 

[r_h]

Agreed. It will all depend on what might have been damaged internally. Hopefully lots of grinding, woven matting and epoxy will regain the hull’s integrity & strength. Hopefully no great damage internally. Getting it to look cosmetically perfect is a more of a challenge but easy enough for a professional GRP repairer and can wait if necessary.

Agreed - obviously you need to be sure of a structurally sound repair, but often in these cases the the bulk of the time/cost can be in the fairing and final finishing . You may be able to get cruising again on a boat that's seaworthy (if a little rough cosmetically) without spending a fortune

 

[Bajansailor]

We were very fortunate really here in Barbados - if Beryl had tracked just 80 miles further north, then the photos coming out of Carriacou could have been from here instead.
She passed about 80 miles south of Barbados early on Monday morning - our power went off around 0300. I was amazed to find that it had been restored again 12 hours later - our power was off for a week after Elsa three years ago (also on the 1st July - just barely a hurricane, but she was much closer to us), and off for 10 days after Tomas passed just south of us in 2010.
I live on the north east coast - we probably had maximum gusts around 45 knots.
The island is only 24 miles long, and the difference in wind speeds between the north and south ends of the island as recorded on the map here were very noticeable -
https://www.barbadosweather.org/

However it was a different story on the south coast here - huge waves rolling in from the south.
Like these -


And these waves in Carlisle Bay -



Quite surprisingly, there were some boats still remaining on moorings in Carlisle Bay, and they survived ok.

Here is an impressive album of photos on Facebook showing damages here -
Mike Evans Photography

And a 5 minute video of the coastline and big waves, taken while Beryl was passing way south of us.
Some footage of the coastline of Barbados, after the passing of Hurricane Beryl. | By PaulFacebook

Here is a video taken by a pal of the waves coming in at Speightstown, on the north west side of the island.

The Fisheries Complex in Bridgetown had over 200 commercial fishing vessels sheltering inside - and there was absolute carnage there, with enormous waves coming over the breakwater into the harbour.

Here is a 'before' aerial photo from a few years ago



And here is an 'after' photo.
The breakwater is built with these interlocking concrete dolos - the end of the breakwater above sea level (up to approx where the Catalac cat is in the 'before' photo) has completely disappeared, along with the concrete jetty just inside it.
Many boats have sunk, or have been extensively damaged. The green boat is resting on top of the fuel dock.



Here is a rather surreal photo (found on line) taken when everything was calm again, and salvage work was underway.



Here is a video showing some of the chaos going on

And another video on Facebook -
Boats get lick up bad. Plug your ears | By Marva Lashley-ToddFacebook

Some more photos and a couple of videos posted by a Facebook friend -
Andrew Rapson

The famous party boat Jolly Roger had been sitting on a mooring in Carlisle Bay for the last few years, and she was in rather poor condition - she was taken into the main harbour in Bridgetown and berthed on the breakwater. The breakwater is about 15' high, yet green water was breaking over it, and pouring down on the boats that had been moored there. These waves rather overwhelmed poor Jolly Roger, and she sank there.

Here is a photo of her in happier times



Here is a video of her sinking

Another party boat called the MV Dream Chaser had also been moored on the breakwater and she has also sunk.
In a previous life she was a vehicle ferry crossing a river in Massachusetts, USA.
Here is a photo of her in happier times.



Both Dream Chaser and Jolly Roger will have to be raised before the cruise ship season begins again a few months time, and this will be a difficult task, especially so for Dream Chaser. She is insured, and apparently she is covered for wreck removal, but the Jolly Roger has not been insured for some years now.

Here is a link to a video posted on Facebook of the boats secured in the mangroves of Tyrrell Bay in Carriacou before Beryl arrived -

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=998980728680794

This video link has been posted previously above, but I will include it again here, as it vividly shows (from about 3 minutes in) the chaos and destruction in the mangroves after Beryl had visited Carriacou.

And there are so many other distressing and heart wrenching photos and videos on line of the damages in the Grenadines, and talking to the people who have lost their homes, including these -

MarvinFacebook

CARRIACOU CHRONICLES: Videomentary by Wendel Gilbert. | By WPG10Facebook

Carriacou Coming Events, Activities & Advertising | This is all I’ve got of my sweet home, Carriacou | Facebook

Carriacou, Grenada after Hurricane Beryl hit today. | By WXChasingFacebook

 

[fredrussell]

It’s heartbreaking viewing that. What sort of percentage of Cariacou home owners are insured against hurricane damage?

Ever since this thread started I’ve been thinking about what a hurricane resistant house would look like. If houses resembled upside down bowls would that work? Just thinking aloud really.

 

[Sea Change]

I'd be surprised if any significant number of houses on Carriacou were insured.
I'm certainly not alone amongst the uninsured boats.
Latest from the Grenadian government is that non essential travel to the affected islands is prohibited. I think they're allowing people to bring relief supplies in, and to volunteer to help with the clean up, but just going to inspect your boat isn't allowed if I'm understanding it correctly.

 

[geem]

It’s heartbreaking viewing that. What sort of percentage of Cariacou home owners are insured against hurricane damage?

Ever since this thread started I’ve been thinking about what a hurricane resistant house would look like. If houses resembled upside down bowls would that work? Just thinking aloud really.

A poured concrete house with flat concrete roof and steel storm shutters is the way to go. It can look like any other house if you add a pitched roof. The problem on these small islands is there is no cement works. You can't order a concrete wagon full. Everything has to be mixed with a cement mixer. The houses there are timber traditionally, and more recently breeze block with minimal rebar reinforcement. Roofs are sheet metal and often just nailed on.
They don't have a hurricane code to build to and if they did, the locals could not be able to afford it. They don't even seem to have hurricane shelters built to a hurricane code.

 

[Neeves]

A poured concrete house with flat concrete roof and steel storm shutters is the way to go. It can look like any other house if you add a pitched roof. The problem on these small islands is there is no cement works. You can't order a concrete wagon full. Everything has to be mixed with a cement mixer. The houses there are timber traditionally, and more recently breeze block with minimal rebar reinforcement. Roofs are sheet metal and often just nailed on.
They don't have a hurricane code to build to and if they did, the locals could not be able to afford it. They don't even seem to have hurricane shelters built to a hurricane code.

You have hit the nail on the head

There is no hurricane code and if there was a sensible one virtually no-one could afford it.

Building one off domestic structures from concrete incorporating re-bar is very expensive. It really does not work unless you are building a row of them, town houses, flats and can move the formwork as you build. Without 20t ready mix, better ready mix on site, it would be a nightmare to control specs.

They are not alone - tornado damage in America or cyclone damage in Australia leaves the same trail of match sticks. HK does so much better because virtually every home is part of a concrete high rise and the (marine) typhoon shelters are well built and well used.

Jonathan

 

[RunAgroundHard]

There is no reason why a concrete plant and building codes can't be in place in this day and age. Bulk cement powder is made remotely and transported globally to various intermediaries before onward transfer to where it gets mixed into concrete and local building sites. I lug around 414m3 of bulk cement powder and get refills globally on my drill ship in out the way locations, more backward than the likes of Curaçao, land rigs globally have bulk cement powder moved across deserts and arctic wildernesses, a very large housing estate just completed where I live had bulk cement delivered to a portable mixing plant, on location for about 3 years. It is also very low cost because it is made in large quantities and steady demand, so very competitive. Mixing cement into concrete or just cement slurry, to a quality standard or specification is not difficult or expensive. Rebar is 10 a penny. If there was a will, it could be done at an affordable price point for the country. Of course the market on an island like Curaçao is small, private market does not have to be the economic model that is applied.

 

[geem]

There is no reason why a concrete plant and building codes can't be in place in this day and age. Bulk cement powder is made remotely and transported globally to various intermediaries before onward transfer to where it gets mixed into concrete and local building sites. I lug around 414m3 of bulk cement powder and get refills globally on my drill ship in out the way locations, more backward than the likes of Curaçao, land rigs globally have bulk cement powder moved across deserts and arctic wildernesses, a very large housing estate just completed where I live had bulk cement delivered to a portable mixing plant, on location for about 3 years. It is also very low cost because it is made in large quantities and steady demand, so very competitive. Mixing cement into concrete or just cement slurry, to a quality standard or specification is not difficult or expensive. Rebar is 10 a penny. If there was a will, it could be done at an affordable price point for the country. Of course the market on an island like Curaçao is small, private market does not have to be the economic model that is applied.

You are on the wrong island and country. We are talking Carriacou. Its part of Grenada. Curacao is about 500 miles west
Curaçao has a population of 150,000 people compared to 6000 on Carriacou.

 

[KevinV]

There is no reason why a concrete plant and building codes can't be in place in this day and age. Bulk cement powder is made remotely and transported globally to various intermediaries before onward transfer to where it gets mixed into concrete and local building sites. I lug around 414m3 of bulk cement powder and get refills globally on my drill ship in out the way locations, more backward than the likes of Curaçao, land rigs globally have bulk cement powder moved across deserts and arctic wildernesses, a very large housing estate just completed where I live had bulk cement delivered to a portable mixing plant, on location for about 3 years. It is also very low cost because it is made in large quantities and steady demand, so very competitive. Mixing cement into concrete or just cement slurry, to a quality standard or specification is not difficult or expensive. Rebar is 10 a penny. If there was a will, it could be done at an affordable price point for the country. Of course the market on an island like Curaçao is small, private market does not have to be the economic model that is applied.

Reality on the ground is that the residents need shelter now, so they will rebuild cheap and fast.

However much you are used to the price of cement and suitable sand, it is by no means affordable to average, or below average, Joe in the likes of Carriacou. The government has no money, unless they indebt themselves further to the Chinese, as they already did after Ivan.