Hurricane Season report no 2 : St Martin Snow

tcm

...
Joined
11 Jan 2002
Messages
23,958
Location
Caribbean at the moment
Visit site
No hurricane at the moment, but the general forecast is for about 18 this season, which I reckon is about one a week.

I got some decent hurricane shutters organised, but then some bloke said Oh but they might buckle if the wind is massive, so I made some darn clever reinforcing/bracing battens that lock into place in the middle of the metal shutters, with bolts and rebar top and bottom. Rebar is what they call the reinforcing steel that they put in concrete buildings, once they have carefully left it around on the site to go completely rusty.

In between the stormy bits, the weather is rather wonderful - sunny, warm and often very calm. One special treat this time of year is "St Martin Snow" - millions of white butterflies dancing all over the island. Wherever you look, there's at least a hundred and sometimes as many as a thousand butterflies. Loads. Unfortunately my camera (and perhaps your screen?) can't show them properly, so yerl just have to imagine it. Yeah, dreamy, butterfiles flittering about everywhere, very Disney.
 
I got some decent hurricane shutters organised . . .

Your windows will be alright . . . it's just the rest of the boat that will be f*cked when every other boat still moored/anchored in the lagoon drags down on you. :rolleyes:

Ref: Hurricane Luis 1995. Experience of an anchored steel yacht we met after the event.

Enjoy the butterflies. :D
 
Your windows will be alright . . . it's just the rest of the boat that will be f*cked when every other boat still moored/anchored in the lagoon drags down on you. :rolleyes:

Ref: Hurricane Luis 1995. Experience of an anchored steel yacht we met after the event.

Enjoy the butterflies. :D



The clue here is 'concrete buildings'....... um.
 
Oh. Feel a bit stupid now.

:p

nah! I didn't make it utterly clear that i am bravely withstanding all weather from the inside a concrete building, located on the safe (west) side behind a big rocky hill with trees all around and nothing/nobody above on the hill, no risk of floods cos of the hill, and the building itself has already withstood 30years of weather. BUT the boat is over there is in the lagoon. Altho, yeah, it's on a well-tested hurricane mooring. Still, wooh arg hurricanes eh? A bit....
 
If and when a hurricane comes the best place for you to be would be the boat- we were in the lagoon and had engines on a divers goggles on and allthough on probably the best hurricane mooring in the lagoon, it was the sunsail yachts we were worried about. As they dragged we slowly manovered out of there way-hence no damage to us. The goggles were so I could see with all the rain lashing down.

Good luck

Peter
 
Make no mistake, a categorie 5 hurricane will strip trees, windows and roofs and send corrugated tin flying lethally, check yer roof structure. Once the roof goes the walls are unsupported.
Luis and Marylyn I survived but only cos I legged it to P Rico and lowered the mast. CQR too btw
Catamarans 'take off' in a cat5 then invert

But, the snowy butterflies sound lovely.

Rebar an excellent idea TCM, solid oak doors will deflect 2 inches under wind pressure, you gotta keep the wind out..Not wishing to scare anyone, just proactive innit. Think of all those hurricane parties and horny women.
 
Yeah,bit it is perched on the side of an F*^%ing steep hill,and the windward side at that - with all the pretty views!

When a hurricane eye passes over you, the wind first comes from the North, then absolute calm, then from the South.

When a hurricane hits eye passes a bit to the North of you, the wind first comes from the North, then from the West, then from the South.

When a hurricane hits eye passes a bit to the South of you, the wind first comes from the North, then from the East, then from the South.
 
Top