Hurricane season in the Caribbean

[mandlmaunder]

So it's here again
HURRICANE SEASON or the season of misinformation
Things u should do
Listen to lots of sailors who have been in the region for hurricanes not just the ones who put their boat into a yard for 7 months of the year
Do lots of research on the areas u will be in or near during hurricane season
Many of us have our boats in the water year round with bolt holes within 36 hours sail.
Mine is 15 minutes from my permanent mooring
Have enough ground tackle that u can hold urself off a beach for days at a time.
No wrong way to work out what ur ground tackle should be but nothing wrong with going up a weight or 2 upon each of ur chosen anchors.
I have 5 anchors of various designs n weights ( all bigger than my boat should ever need under normal circumstances) to deploy at a reasonable amount of notice!, I also carry sand screws that can take a few hours each to wind into the sea bed but have massive holding power.
Just a few thoughts to b going on with

 

[geem]

So it's here again
HURRICANE SEASON or the season of misinformation
Things u should do
Listen to lots of sailors who have been in the region for hurricanes not just the ones who put their boat into a yard for 7 months of the year
Do lots of research on the areas u will be in or near during hurricane season
Many of us have our boats in the water year round with bolt holes within 36 hours sail.
Mine is 15 minutes from my permanent mooring
Have enough ground tackle that u can hold urself off a beach for days at a time.
No wrong way to work out what ur ground tackle should be but nothing wrong with going up a weight or 2 upon each of ur chosen anchors.
I have 5 anchors of various designs n weights ( all bigger than my boat should ever need under normal circumstances) to deploy at a reasonable amount of notice!, I also carry sand screws that can take a few hours each to wind into the sea bed but have massive holding power.
Just a few thoughts to b going on with

So have you actually been through a hurricane on your boat?

 

[mandlmaunder]

So have you actually been through a hurricane on your boat?

We've been thru several Hurricanes since our arrival in the Caribbean some with the boat on land and some with her in the water
I feel safer in water with our ground tackle and the shelter of Hurricane Hole St John providing wind protection.
If u choose to have ur boat on land ensure that all support stands are chained together in pairs n if optional use ground/sand screws and large ratchet straps the hold u to the ground.

 

[geem]

We've been thru several Hurricanes since our arrival in the Caribbean some with the boat on land and some with her in the water
I feel safer in water with our ground tackle and the shelter of Hurricane Hole St John providing wind protection.
If u choose to have ur boat on land ensure that all support stands are chained together in pairs n if optional use ground/sand screws and large ratchet straps the hold u to the ground.

My insurance company insist on full cradle rather than props with chains. We saw the aftermath of Ivan in 2004 in Grenada. Props jut don't hack it in my observation. We saw many yachts with holes where the props had vibrated lose and the boat had fallen over with the remaining props punched through the hull. My preference if in the hurricane belt would always be a full cradle and ratchet strapped to strong points set into concrete.
It is worth considering that if you are damaged by a hurricane then the time it takes to get repaired can be considerable. All the reputable repair companies will be very busy. It is not unheard of to be 12-18 months waiting for repairs after a hurricane.
There are very few mast repair places in the Caribbean. St Martin probably has the best but they are a relatively small set up with just one main guy building masts. It can take a long time to get a new mast.
I would rather not be in the hurricane zone during the summer. Being afloat has it risks. You can be wonderfully prepared with numerous anchors, chain and rode. It only takes one badly moored boat to wreck yours. This happens regularly. One charter company took their fleet into a hurricane hole and anchored them. They all dragged and caused mayhem when the hurricane hit.
Which hurricanes have you been through and where were you?

 

[KellysEye]

Initially we used to spend hurricane season in Trinidad but got bored with that so sailed down Venezuela. When that became dangerous we sailed to Curacao via Bonaire and anchored in Spanish Waters, where we could go diving on the west coast. Then we would sail back to the island chain when hurricane season ended, sometimes stopping in Puerto Rico and working our way down the island chain to Grenada.

 

[Tony Cross]

Reading this I promise never to complain about a bit of strong wind in the Med ever again. Honest!

 

[geem]

Initially we used to spend hurricane season in Trinidad but got bored with that so sailed down Venezuela. When that became dangerous we sailed to Curacao via Bonaire and anchored in Spanish Waters, where we could go diving on the west coast. Then we would sail back to the island chain when hurricane season ended, sometimes stopping in Puerto Rico and working our way down the island chain to Grenada.

Thats our plan this season. We are currently back in the UK so boat out of water in Curacao but we are back onboard in October. Plan to head up to Bonaire then Puerto Rico at end of hurricane season.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Reading this I promise never to complain about a bit of strong wind in the Med ever again. Honest!

Until next time

 

[KellysEye]

>Thats our plan this season. We are currently back in the UK so boat out of water in Curacao but we are back onboard in October. Plan to head up to Bonaire then Puerto Rico at end of hurricane season.

Bear in mind that trip is upwind upcurrent of about 2 knots. Try to avoid any swell we got some that wasn't forecast and crossed 68 degrees west 3 times as the swell pushed us back. We were heading to the USVIs, but changed course to Puerto Rico where the south coast is flat calm and no wind. All American territories, including Puerto Rico, require a B1/B2 visa which allows unlimited access to all American territories for 10 years so you can also use it in PRs adjacent islands, the USVI's and Christianstead. If you want to learn to dive Bonaire is the place to do it.

 

[geem]

>Thats our plan this season. We are currently back in the UK so boat out of water in Curacao but we are back onboard in October. Plan to head up to Bonaire then Puerto Rico at end of hurricane season.

Bear in mind that trip is upwind upcurrent of about 2 knots. Try to avoid any swell we got some that wasn't forecast and crossed 68 degrees west 3 times as the swell pushed us back. We were heading to the USVIs, but changed course to Puerto Rico where the south coast is flat calm and no wind. All American territories, including Puerto Rico, require a B1/B2 visa which allows unlimited access to all American territories for 10 years so you can also use it in PRs adjacent islands, the USVI's and Christianstead. If you want to learn to dive Bonaire is the place to do it.

We enjoyed a couple of weeks of diving in Bonaire before we went to Curacao. We carry our own dive gear. We are applying for our US visa at the moment.
Fortunately our boat sails pretty well to windward. We just need to wait for some south in the forecast, but that might be wishful thinking that early in the season. We would like to make the American Virgins in one hit but we will see. More likely Puerto Rico i think.

 

[KellysEye]

>We enjoyed a couple of weeks of diving in Bonaire before we went to Curacao. We carry our own dive gear. We are applying for our US visa at the moment.
Fortunately our boat sails pretty well to windward. We just need to wait for some south in the forecast, but that might be wishful thinking that early in the season. We would like to make the American Virgins in one hit but we will see. More likely Puerto Rico i think.

Brilliant, all sorted. I've never known south in the wind unless a squall comes through when it can go round in a cicle, it will be the normal trade winds from the east for the whole sailing season. Very occasionally you get a wind reversal when a hurricane has passed through. We had one in Curacao and it destroyed all docks on the west coast and the same in Bonaire. When we arrived in Bonaire heading east all the reefs were covered in sand and there was sand two streets back from the shore - so not sailing weather unfortunately.

 

[geem]

>We enjoyed a couple of weeks of diving in Bonaire before we went to Curacao. We carry our own dive gear. We are applying for our US visa at the moment.
Fortunately our boat sails pretty well to windward. We just need to wait for some south in the forecast, but that might be wishful thinking that early in the season. We would like to make the American Virgins in one hit but we will see. More likely Puerto Rico i think.

Brilliant, all sorted. I've never known south in the wind unless a squall comes through when it can go round in a cicle, it will be the normal trade winds from the east for the whole sailing season. Very occasionally you get a wind reversal when a hurricane has passed through. We had one in Curacao and it destroyed all docks on the west coast and the same in Bonaire. When we arrived in Bonaire heading east all the reefs were covered in sand and there was sand two streets back from the shore - so not sailing weather unfortunately.

Not quite East all the time. Wind regularly swings between NE to SE. It tends to be more NE at the beginning of the season and more SE at end of season but weather systems to the North do influence the trade direction. A couple of days of SE will do us and allow us to make some Easting. We plan to spend time in Bonaire diving and keeping an eye out for that SE swing

 

[KellysEye]

Not quite East all the time. Wind regularly swings between NE to SE. It tends to be more NE at the beginning of the season and more SE at end of season but weather systems to the North do influence the trade direction. A couple of days of SE will do us and allow us to make some Easting. We plan to spend time in Bonaire diving and keeping an eye out for that SE swing

Sorry I forgot that but as you say the SE move is towards the end of the season we just bit the bullet and went.

 

[rickym]

Done it twice, once from Bonaire once from Curacao. Both times we only made PR as wind and current really push you east. Easterly current lessens the further north you go. Would suggest you try to go north before the trades really establish themselves in late December. Never seen SE at that time of year in the last 4 years.
Don't miss Culebra on your way to the VI's
Not gone to Bonaire this year, boat in Grenada we are in UK until end sept so still time.
Fair winds

 

[geem]

Done it twice, once from Bonaire once from Curacao. Both times we only made PR as wind and current really push you east. Easterly current lessens the further north you go. Would suggest you try to go north before the trades really establish themselves in late December. Never seen SE at that time of year in the last 4 years.
Don't miss Culebra on your way to the VI's
Not gone to Bonaire this year, boat in Grenada we are in UK until end sept so still time.
Fair winds

We would be looking to head off from Bonaire in November assuming there are no hurricanes about.