Irma

My fear is that whilst the immediate damage is devastating enough the long term damage might even be greater. Imagine the charter fleet business in the whole of the Caribbean. No one will insure yachts anymore in hurricane holes. So fleets will have to go south for the whole of June to November. The business model might be untenable and the loss of income significant for the islands.
 
auditdata said:
My fear is that whilst the immediate damage is devastating enough the long term damage might even be greater. Imagine the charter fleet business in the whole of the Caribbean. No one will insure yachts anymore in hurricane holes. So fleets will have to go south for the whole of June to November. The business model might be untenable and the loss of income significant for the islands.
Click to expand...

Indeed. The insurance was cripplingly expensive before (about $6,000 per annum per boat).
 
Dreadful pictures, so much destruction.
How much of the damage has been insured, and will all the specialist underwriters be able to pay up? Will this reflect on our premiums back in Europe?
(I recall that Pantaneus had a major hit from hurricane losses in Grenada a few years ago...)
Will the next year see every able-bodied marine engineer out in the Caribbean repairing or rebuilding damaged boats?
Will every spare bit of new kit in Europe be rushed out there to replace storm damaged stuff?

Who will benefit? Large scale boat manufacturers , obviously. Group Beneteau shares are up 4% today.
 
auditdata said:
My fear is that whilst the immediate damage is devastating enough the long term damage might even be greater. Imagine the charter fleet business in the whole of the Caribbean. No one will insure yachts anymore in hurricane holes. So fleets will have to go south for the whole of June to November. The business model might be untenable and the loss of income significant for the islands.
Click to expand...

My son worked on Cooper Island for a few years and then on Tortola at Soper's Hole. The main hotels and resorts shut down in August, shutter everything, tie stuff up and re-open after the end of September. As this is a one off it would be a bit premature to write off the whole industry but instead just adopt similar strategies. You can't fight nature so just adapt a way 'around' it. Some of my son's friends are still there, Bitter End, Road Town. A friend of his was supposed to be working at Cane Garden from next week and the whole building has gone. No word on when Bitter End will open again.
 
Mum's house is still without power in Antigua, genny going like the clappers (bought duty-free after the last big hurricane). We lost the entire roof in Luis, so the old man had it rebuilt like nuclear bunker!

To follow on with Vic's photo, theres a before and after.

charter1.jpg
charter2.jpg
 
Oops (was Re: Irma)

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Email from Sailing Today, arrived 17.09:

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Re: Oops (was Re: Irma)

Well the spaghetti models are are now showing some agreement with a Florida landfall over Miami.

The good news is for once they ordered early evacuation of the most vulnerable areas around Miami and Dade.

The bad news is if Irma hits Miami as a cat 4/5 the insurance costs will be through the roof [ which won't be there ]
 
Shame it could not just rock up there without having to leave the path of destruction on the way though. I lived through Hurricane Emily in 2005 have the t shirt to prove it. You have to hand it to the Mexicans, they will take an opportunity to make a buck.
 
Here are a few links re good weather map websites for tracking Irma.

An animated map showing windspeeds - https://www.windy.com/?21.207,-60.645,5

A similar map here - https://www.ventusky.com/?p=13.1;-59.5;4&l=wind&t=20170908/02

Animated satellite map from Intellicast - there is also one for the whole Atlantic - http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/CaribbeanSatellite.aspx?animate=true

The Hurricane Watch Net has very detailed forecasts and discussions - http://hwn.org/weather/atlantic.html

Passage Weather is also pretty good - https://www.ventusky.com/?p=13.1;-59.5;4&l=wind&t=20170908/02

The photo in TQA's thread about cats flipping -
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?486521-So-many-inverted-catamarans-why
showing a cat upside down on the dock really illustrates well the power in this hurricane. I saw a report from Barbuda mentioning that cars and shipping containers were being flung around by the wind. The whole island is going to be evacuated now ahead of a visit soon by Hurricane Jose who is following in Irma's wake.

Here is a Facebook Group about Irma in the BVI's -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1922822811318744/permalink/1931787767088915/
 
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I know people who live there, as my son did until this time last year. There is a time and a place for humour, this is not it. A young girl we know was supposed to be starting work in Cane Garden Bay next week having moved from Road Town. She now has no job, as the restaurant was wiped from the face of the Earth. A family we know in Cane Garden Bay have a yacht we chartered and I would like to know they're safe also (the yacht has been lifted out on Virgin Gorda).

I am always up for a laugh but not just yet, thank you.
 
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