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Hurricane IRMA -

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by YachtForums, Sep 5, 2017.

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  1. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Pascal, I hope you do not mind an observation.

    Pascal was in a pickle;
    Protect his personal property or run a larger causality to safety.
    In past history, his personal boat he understood the area and risk. Dinner key is a hard area and fair/poorly protected.
    Nice outer mangroves offered some protection.
    The after math proved some rub rail damage on his personal boat but all good, very glad to hear.

    Protect a 80 footer in there, no way.

    Not questioning your thoughts but understanding you may not have slept well at all till after you heard the good news of your ole Hatteras.

    For you my friend, I'm glad all is well and you, your ships & familys are safe.

    ,Ralph
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    We usually just put ole Hatteras and Bertram's back in the water. bert46.jpg
  3. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I'm very happy for him too. Just different circumstances for each of us. And how are you doing, Ralph? Your area was hit hard too.
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    We are blessed to be on the Huckins floating concrete dock, again. No issues here. Just can
    not get off the dock. Yard flooded big time.
    Josie on pins & needles ,, again.
    Kats are all well.
    I again slept thru it. Gen-sets keeping the A/Cs humming, mixers cool, life
    is good...

    It's high tide here but is just inches lower than it was 4 hours ago.
    1745 Monday local.

    All of Huckins wood docks trashed.
    Work barge at Lambs drifted over their old concrete piles.
    Lambs parking lot was under water, some cars may have drifted.
    Lambs concrete A dock way under. Some boats will have some damage on the
    piles when the tide rolls out (dumb sheets).
    Cedar Point dock was 16" from coming off their piles.
    Lower levels of Lambs, Huckins, Saddler, Ortega landings, old Ortega Yacht Club & Florida Yacht Club offices and work
    areas flooded.
    No telling what we will find in the pools at the Landings or the ole Yacht clubs.
    Reports from Ortega Landing (ORBY our main stay) are good. Some blown canvas & curtains, all boats are
    fine.
    CSX rail bridge manager on his way to the rail bridge. He should have it open by
    late this evening, We will further reconnoiter the ORBY & clubs docks by water then.
    All in all, our and our associates boats fared very well.

    We have witnessed some causality's. Mostly more dumb sheets but a very large catamaran that did well during the blunt of the storm, did drift on the s/w bank this morning (dkh).
    As soon as the rail bridge opens, we will offer our support before the tide starts really dropping.
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    I am specifially talking about marinas in miami completely open to biscayne bay. Basically any marina with more than 1 nm of fetch is going to get pounded and most boats wont make it. I cant imagine any underwriter approving a tie up drawing in a marina open to the bay with less than 1 foot clearance on each side of the boat and fixed piling that only extend 1' above the rub rail at normal nigh tide. Yet this is what we get down there. I had to leave my boat in her slip and she survived but with heavy rub rail damage. That was unavoidable in a slip barely two feet wider than the boat.

    All day thursday, the writing was on the wall. Every forecast track was nudged west to the point that the eastern bahamas were in the clear. By the 11pm advisory package there were zero chance of the center passign over the bahamas. The problem was that it left a narrow window to leave as by morning it was blowing N20 in the stream
  6. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    For some of us there are just far more important things than moving our boat. I know your's was a customer and hope he realizes what you did for him. We could have moved a boat or two and ourselves but we have a large extended family here and a lot of employees to think of.
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    In my lil world, I had been forecasting (praying) for a Gulf pass. I had no idea the storm could leave Cuba so late and finally take a hard right turn north and F*** up Florida so much.
    Many of our customers found that delay and either headed north (from the east coast) or east at the last minute like your self. I do praise your thinking.
    Early drivers did press W/SW despite a Low clearing in that direction.
    Now your guessing on the next low that has not a line of prediction.
    I'm also trying to praise or recognize your sacrifice, not able to monitor your personal ship. It must have been a strain.
  8. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Oh absolutely. Years ago i used to live st barths and between a business and two homes, the small boat and light twin aircraft were basically disposable and secured as best as possible. The houses and busienss required us to stay on t h island.

    In the future after the hatt is re powered , i ll move both the boat i run and my own boat (my GF can follow me...)

    So yes, absolutely every situation is different although typically most boats over 70 have a full time captain and should be moved. It s part of th job. It comes fist. Othrsise, i woudlnt be running a boat full time
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    It was a tough call on thrusday night. It seemed completly crazy to be heading where nobody was going. Apparently many boats went to the west cosst, incl a friend of mine with a 58 hatt. They lucked out with a dock in st pete and the storm weakened.

    It was an easy choice when it came to my boat... i coudont move her to safety since eveythig was disconnected for the repower. I know, it sounds stupid to disable a boAt in hurricane season but i was hoping to have ready for the yard by mid august... then it was... do my job, protect the boat i m paid to run full time, or loose my job if the boat is gone which doesnt help pay the bills to finish the hatt :)

    when you live in the tropics, you d better learn about tropical weather... And the bottom is that you have till the nhc forecast is pretty much set to make a decision.

    Oh the price oay to live in paradise :)
  10. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Amen. B Z..
  11. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Fetch is key, in ftl (is that where you are?) you dont have the same problem we do down in the grove. Our marina is ok to 80/90kts, at least the protecd parts but not on a tee head. Been there with my boat for 14 years...

    This is what is left of a gorgeous Choy Lee canoe stern MY just two tee heads from where we are.

    Down here, on a tee head, staying is just not an option

    Attached Files:

  12. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    No, it is a lot safer and more protected here. It was strange feeling that we were in a hurricane and bad things taking place on land we couldn't see and the ocean rough and very close but we couldn't see that either
  13. Fletcher500

    Fletcher500 Member

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    Anyone aware of how boats in Marco Island faired? It looks like they took a direct hit, but I have not read or seen any videos regarding the boat population.
  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Thru a friend, They did well.
    Rose's should be selling fuel tomorrow if not already.

    Sadly, Our local snews here in Jax wants to report on local wet palm brush so I can not quote any media.
    If your familiar with my critiques, Jax local news/weather media S**k's..
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2017
  15. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I noticed one thing in looking at one of the Coconut Grove Marinas with significant damage. There was one yacht that broke loose and did a lot of damage to docks and other boats. It was and have been for sale for a good while. I just wonder who many people who had boats for sale, especially those living far away had done nothing and did nothing. I know some marinas went to great effort to check boats and add lines to be billed to the customer but suspect others didn't. I saw a couple of places in canals where one break away boat damaged other boats and it is a reminder that it's not just how your boat is secured but how those near you are as well.
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    You must be talking about the 90 footer Mia. She wss normally tied along the long concrete pier so it seems to me that she got loose after the wooden floating docks from shake a leg got loose and pushed to shore then when she got loose she crushed the pile. Unless she was moved to a different dock before the storm

    I jst hope the Trumpy Dune, usually tied on the tee head was moved to safety.. gorgeous boat, woudl be a shame

    You have a point about insurance... i hate to think the worst of people thOugh

    Just about to leave Hatchett Bay with a fuel stop in NAS
  17. Fletcher500

    Fletcher500 Member

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    Thinking the same thing. I was looking at a 470 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge in Marco Island, and close to flying out there to look at it last month. But, all of that is moot. The destruction to peoples life's from these events is heart breaking.
  18. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Have you been told it's no longer sellable? There are some completely undamaged boats among major damage. It was amazing when we went to South Texas to see how much better the boats in the water did than those on land and how much better than houses. We saw one family with their house down to rubble but their boat docked behind their house not having a scratch so they were living on it. I noticed Broward and Palm Beach just crossed 50% of power restored and Dade a little over 40%. Most streets, especially main thoroughfares in the three counties are passable (except A1A), but communications and electricity are the greatest needs to normalcy. Of course in other parts of the state there's still water and there are houses and docks needing rebuilding. A good bit of need for rebuilding in South Dade. We didn't drive past Kendall this morning.
  19. Iknownothing

    Iknownothing Member

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    Anyone know how Lauderdale faired? I'm in the southern Caribbean and can't find anything on the news/web about Broward County other than the looters and sand on A1A.

    I fly back late tomorrow and just wondering how places along Marina mile held up.
  20. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Everything I've seen so far has held up pretty well. We fared well. Do know of some boats docked in canals that broke loose, some due to poor tying and some due to inadequate docks or cleats.

    Also, seems some sailboats flipped, simply not well balanced for strong winds and no sails. And a few boats had bilge pump failures and sunk.

    On the whole, boats at floating docks and well tied in their slips did very well here. At least some of the marinas seemed to survey their marina and add lines where they felt needed. I don't know how many did that. I haven't seen any major marina issues in Fort Lauderdale but haven't seen them all either.