Hurricane season
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
capnsensible
Well-known member
I think the chap who made the vid used to post on here and is an absolute font of sailing knowledge and has helped.many people. 
geem
Well-known member
Lots of people leave boats in Le Marin, Martinique in a marina for hurricane season. The wise ones take off the sails, sprayhood and bimini. Clearly, this guy has no idea of the consequences of leaving all that stuff up to flog in the wind when it's blowing like stink.
In a marina environment, it only takes one boat to come loose during a hurricane to create complete carnage for other boats nearby. Leaving sails up during hurricane season on unattended boats should be banned in those marinas in my view.
A loose genoa will lean a boat over drastically in 75mph winds such that mast and rigging clash with adjacent boats, masts come down. You can imagine the carnage.
We were in Le Marin a couple of weeks ago. A direct hit of a full strength hurricane there would be utter carnage. There are thousands of boats in the marina and on a tightly packed mooring field plus many yachts at anchor. Circa 2000 boats in total
In a marina environment, it only takes one boat to come loose during a hurricane to create complete carnage for other boats nearby. Leaving sails up during hurricane season on unattended boats should be banned in those marinas in my view.
A loose genoa will lean a boat over drastically in 75mph winds such that mast and rigging clash with adjacent boats, masts come down. You can imagine the carnage.
We were in Le Marin a couple of weeks ago. A direct hit of a full strength hurricane there would be utter carnage. There are thousands of boats in the marina and on a tightly packed mooring field plus many yachts at anchor. Circa 2000 boats in total
SaltyC
Well-known member
I cannot believe someone will not remove a genoa in hurrican alley. I am surprised at the numbers who leave genoas furled in Britain when they have no intention ofgoing sailing. 10 mins effort, arriving and leaving.
johnalison
Well-known member
We get few hurricanes in Essex. It is more than enough effort to hoist my jib once a year without wanting to do this every time I feel like going out for a sail. I double secure my furling line and coil the spinnaker halyard many times round the sail when leaving the boat, and feel well able to withstand the worst that the Met Office can throw at me.
Wansworth
Well-known member
Yes I thought it worth postingI think the chap who made the vid used to post on here and is an absolute font of sailing knowledge and has helped.many people.
Kelpie
Well-known member
Can you please come and do my genoa, I reckon it's closer to an hour by the time it's all done, and that's assuming I've got a spacious alongside berth to give space to flake it, and a competent helper. And that I don't mind giving up the cabin space to store it.
Bajansailor
Well-known member
Michael Briant's Forum name is @Sea Devil (https://forums.ybw.com/members/sea-devil.9021/ ), but YBW says that they have not seen him since February.
Kelpie makes a good point above - however if anybody is leaving their boat for the summer in a location where there is a reasonable chance of a hurricane happening, either ashore or afloat in a marina, then it would be prudent to spend that extra hour to take the genoa off and stow it down below.
Kelpie makes a good point above - however if anybody is leaving their boat for the summer in a location where there is a reasonable chance of a hurricane happening, either ashore or afloat in a marina, then it would be prudent to spend that extra hour to take the genoa off and stow it down below.
Stemar
Well-known member
ISTM that yes, it's a pain to have to set up the genny, bimini and dodgers every time - I wouldn't bother either when leaving the boat for a few days - I could always come and take 'em off, or pay someone to do it if I couldn't get there, when seriously bad weather threatens, but leaving the boat for several weeks at a time when hurricanes are likely, you bet I'd make the effort.
SaltyC
Well-known member
On the 31 footer, took circa 15 mins, Flaked on deck singlehanded. ...........The 37 footer is a slightly longer process using marina walkway. Both bagged and stored under forecabin bunks.
Kelpie
Well-known member
And on a 1970s headsail driven 39ft boat, with a huge overlapping genoa, and a babystay cutting in to the deck space, it's a different story.
I do remove all canvas if I'm leaving the boat for the winter, but that's the only time.
If I was caught out with a hurricane approaching, I'd think about it, but would rather put my energies in to being somewhere else.
johnalison
Well-known member
My jib is only 110% but laminate, and it is about as much as I can do just to lift it in its bag. The pontoon, if I could get it there is a metal grid (Titchmarsh for those who know it), and not suitable for folding sails. I have no area of deck to fold the sail on, especially as the lowers come onto the deck, so the best I can do is to make some sort of sausage of sail and bundle it into its bag for sorting out at home. It is not a lot better even with two people. Hoisting the jib can vary from moderately tedious to very tedious if the wind is unhelpful, and almost requires two people since the halyard is in the cockpit and the sail won’t easily feed itself in the track. I have sailed smaller boats and those with soft Dacron sails where these tasks were easy, especially with hanked-on sails, but to forego one of the great advantages of a furling jib would be quite daft, which is why no-one does.
geem
Well-known member
My 700sqft genoa with 10oz cloth is a two man lift once in the bag. The cloth is stiff as it Vectran. Regardless of the difficulty of removing and reinstating the sail on the furler, It would always be removed if we were leaving the boat unattended in hurricane season.
I will be replacing the forestay wire this week so the sail will be coming off. I little reminder of how hard it is to do
BurnitBlue
Well-known member
Whén I cruised the Bahamas in my first prout with her large genoa, i used an open sock fastened with plastic hooks. Lots of them so I hoisted the sock a few feet, fasten a hook hoist another few feet etc. When fully hoisted it looked really neat and protective.
Until one storm when I was woken by an awfull racket. The sock being loose and flappy was in an absolute rage and shaking the whole boat. Next day the storm subsided allowing me to lower the thing still flapping. No damage, however the sock was replaced by an anti UV strip later which the sock was designed to emulate.
Until one storm when I was woken by an awfull racket. The sock being loose and flappy was in an absolute rage and shaking the whole boat. Next day the storm subsided allowing me to lower the thing still flapping. No damage, however the sock was replaced by an anti UV strip later which the sock was designed to emulate.
Zing
Well-known member
I have kept my boat in the hurricane zone for many years. I always remove its sails even though it’s a faff, a half day job for two. I now do also the in-mast furling mainsail. They have been known to unfurl themselves and cause chaos in a hurricane. I’m always on the hard too. Leaving it in a marina is just asking for trouble. So sorry, Sailing Gently, I think you are taking a big risk with your boat.
BurnitBlue
Well-known member
A major problem for me with 5 years in the hurricane zone was the stress of following a threat via radio. Many times it missed but still left me a jibbering wreck for a few days. That was pre-internet so I wonder if it is any better with instant up-todate tracking and so many "channels" to choose from?
Stemar
Well-known member
I reckon it's probably a bit of both. Better because of more accurate forecasting, but worse because of inaccurate "We're all gonna die" headlines from the usual sources - There are plenty of "red top tabloid" internet channels, as well as the more reliable ones.
I'm in the UK, so we don't have to worry about hurricanes (Michael Fish was right, it wasn't a hurricane, even if there were hurricane strength winds), but we do get weather to worry about a few times a year, and a storm where I'm going to prep the boat and bring her to the pontoon to sit it out every couple of years.
I'm in the UK, so we don't have to worry about hurricanes (Michael Fish was right, it wasn't a hurricane, even if there were hurricane strength winds), but we do get weather to worry about a few times a year, and a storm where I'm going to prep the boat and bring her to the pontoon to sit it out every couple of years.
Zing
Well-known member
I mostly look at the National Hurricane Centre. No hyperbole there. Also synoptic charts, such as with weatherfax. Again free of B.S.
capnsensible
Well-known member
Wunderground tropical used to be a great website for hurricane information but it seems to have lost. Its way in recent years, sadly.
geem
Well-known member
The ECMWF is very good at tracking early hurricanes. We use the Windy proffessional app. With a Digicel roaming package we have excellent Internet from the BvIs all the way down to Trinidad. Its very easy to stay informed. There are good local Internet weather stations with no hype and sensationalising online. Spice Weather in Grenada being one useful source
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