Hurricane Survival For Small Boats

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Richard Dumas

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Someone posted a question awhile back asking if it was OK to motor slowly ahead while at anchor during a hurricane to relieve strain on an anchor.

This question and many more answered about hurricanes in a book by popular Author Richard Dumas in "Hurricane Survival for Small Boats" available from Kindle.com or Amazon.com, a livaboard who has survived fifteen hurricanes as well as three direct hits all while being at anchor.

Sorry-The correct link for this book or other boating and travel books by Richard C. Dumas is http://www.Mexican-Travel.com
 
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In the Caribbean if boats are still sailing and a hurricane is forecast they will go into the mangroves preferrably in a lagoon. Then tie the bows to the mangroves and put out three anchors. One heavy storm anchor direcly behind the stern, then one each at 45 degrees each side of the boat. One of the anchors is generally the bow anchor and all should be on chain. We had that kit on board but only came close to using it in Spanish Waters, Curacao. What was expected to be a direect hit passed 50 mile north. I was doing the cruiser net weather forecasts so was keeping everybody up to date every hour from midday to midnight.
 
Hurricane Survival for Small Boats

KellysEye- I go into great detail about major problems I personally experienced using three anchors in my book "Hurricane Survival for Small Boats"in above post that are far too long to explain here.

However, If a boat were in a very narrow channel or inlet where there is no swinging room then and only then I MAY put out a stern anchor. I would rather end up going into the mangroves on either side and getting a few scratches or bent pulpit than capsizing the whole boat.

Using anchors bow and stern if a boat is anchored out in a harbor or anchorage would prove deadly, as the boat will swing 360 degrees possibly many times during the violent herky jerky winds which start and stop in seconds at times during the hurricane.
Stern anchor would prevent that and the whole boat would soon capsize and very easily at that. It must be free to "sail" and will do so quite rapidly and heel over as much as 45 -50 degrees without the stern anchor so it is critical that one should not be used and prohibit that movement.
 
Give him a break hes selling his book
good timing though as a hurricane is all over the news today
But its a few thousand miles from Blighty and we never get hurricanes
em actually we do very occasionally get Hurricane force winds...!
 
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Seajet said:
Why not just say 'please buy my book even though no-ones ever heard of me'...
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Well 6 of us have now heard of him but I doubt that it would motivate us to buy.

Anyone spending more than half an hour on here would see that we like info and facts and could easily deduce that a blatent advert would not be popular. Any author worth buying / reading would have taken the time to research before posting .....
 
Richard Dumas said:
This question and many more answered about hurricanes in a book by popular Author Richard Dumas in "Hurricane Survival for Small Boats" available from Kindle.com or Amazon.com, a livaboard who has survived fifteen hurricanes as well as three direct hits all while being at anchor.
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The book must be by a different "Richard Dumas" as surely one does not refer to oneself by one's own name.

Perhaps the Queen does - has she ever written a book?

Richard non-Dumas
 
RichardS said:
The book must be by a different "Richard Dumas" as surely one does not refer to oneself by one's own name.
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A cheap shot, but I keep being reminded of the scene in the Shawshank Redemption where a semi-literate prisoner is unpacking books for the new library, and finds it hilarious to discover a copy of The Man in the Iron Mask by "Alexander Dumb-ass".

Pete
 
Hurricane survival

I did NOT write THIS book.
A good account of survival in a hurricane at sea is in Heavy Weather Sailing by Peter Bruce, which book should be obligatory reading for off-shore sailors anyway.
We survived by having built a very strong steel boat, having minimum openings and then shutting down and turning the boat into a submarine.
All over in 15 hours, and then count the damage.
I have survived two other Cyclones (Indian Ocean) but in a larger vessel.
I don't have much hope for anyone in a plastic off-the-shelf boat.It is not a nice experience.
 
binch said:
I did NOT write THIS book.
A good account of survival in a hurricane at sea is in Heavy Weather Sailing by Peter Bruce, which book should be obligatory reading for off-shore sailors anyway.
We survived by having built a very strong steel boat, having minimum openings and then shutting down and turning the boat into a submarine.
All over in 15 hours, and then count the damage.
I have survived two other Cyclones (Indian Ocean) but in a larger vessel.
I don't have much hope for anyone in a plastic off-the-shelf boat.It is not a nice experience.
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binch,

that sounds really interesting, please tell us more.

You know, thinking about it, there could be a book in that...
 
binch said:
I did NOT write THIS book.
A good account of survival in a hurricane at sea is in Heavy Weather Sailing by Peter Bruce, which book should be obligatory reading for off-shore sailors anyway.
Click to expand...

Adlard Coles's Heavy Weather Sailing, 6th Edition by Peter Bruce is the best book I have ever read. It's not all about him (actually, very little about him) but rather a collection of analysis of boats designs, weather reading, real storms and incidents/accidents/dramas. It is also a very good description of heavy weather technics with their pros and cons, and real life stories by survivors, which are very well analysed. A must for anyone going long distance to my humble opinion :o
 
Hey, this chap has actually written a book, not just been accused of writing one.
Give him a chance. If I was in a hurricane I bet I wish I had read it.
I am sticking up for the little man, he who has toiled and sweated through 15 hurricanes to bring you information that may one day save your life.

Ps
Have you read my latest book... Jack and the beanstalk They've had to cancel the panto in Birmingham , Bristol , Oldham, Bradford, Burnley, Leicester, Luton and London :
Apparently the giant couldn't smell any Englishmen.
 
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