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Hurricane IRMA -

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

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  1. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Yesterday when I was considering a run to the west coast with the 84 Lazzara I run, i called a few marinas and fuel docks I was told many boats from so fl where running up the west coast. I waited till the last minute to make the decision an de boy ami glad i did... seeing the track wasn't firming up over Florida, I looked a thing the track and the wind radieuses and decided to go east. Left Miami at midnight and anchored in Hatchet bay, Eleuthera around 11am. It's 200 miles from Miami and will be 250 miles from the storm. With hurricane force winds extending just 75/90 nm, we won't get more than 40/50kts. Good shelter, the entrance is a tight cut in some rocky cliffs...
  2. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Pascal, that may be a smart move. Many tracks see the eye going more up the west side of the coast as it's too lumbering to turn too swiftly.
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    When I was calling to find dockage on the west coast a couple of marinas explains they were full or out of fuel because of all the MYs coming from SoFL
    That's the thing with these storms especially when a turn is involved or if they come at a shallow angle... you have to wait till the last minute to decide

    Wait till the last second and you,may loose. It was a comfy NE12kts in the stream when we crossed between midnight and 2am, then it built to NNE20. No crossing had we waited till morning. The NW channel was miserable but ok with4-6' and building. Then the last 40nm to Eleuthera were with 4-5 on the bow, short and steep, and wind building to 30 when when we arrived. I almost missed the window!!
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I have one owner with a 28 knot cruise yacht and we had been going back and forth with that discussion. I told him if he was going to run to go to Stuart. From there he could run the inside and a day get to ft. Myers, or st. Augustine/Jacksonville, but it was a tough call and we both decided to tie it up the best we could where it sits. I thought of the Bahamas idea, but problem is if it changes, it's too rough to get anywhere else. But what do you do.
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Stuart and a last minute run across the OWW is an option but you run the risk of a lock closure and be stuck.

    What the Drama Queens of TWC don't tell people is that the dangerous part of a hurricane is its core which rarely extends more than 75/100nm from the center. Beyond that you may get some borderline hurricane force sustained winds which will not cause damage beyond a few palm fronds and loose awnings. A boat reasonably secured in a sheltered marina or in good anchorage will be fine.

    Here is a short clip of yesterday's run between NAS and Eleuthera. It was too rough the NW Channel to take pics...

    https://instagram.com/p/BY0iUQbBwtV/
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Well from Stuart, in an express that does 28 knots....you can run at cruise North of there for most of it.....so you could either go West to Ft. Myers, or North and make it to St. Johns river, or South and make Fort Laud in a day on the inside, no matter how rough the ocean is, but you have options. Granted it could chase you North as far as NY. LOL
  7. GhostriderIII

    GhostriderIII Senior Member

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    Ft Myers getting outer bands as I write. Six foot surge expected tonight.
    Personally, I would head up to Dismal Swamp and wait it out. But, then I would have made that decision two days ago. Now, might be too late.
  8. saltysenior

    saltysenior Senior Member

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    I figured out years ago , the problem w/ boats at hurricane time could be solved easy.........just bring $$$$$$
  9. Gage Rowden7

    Gage Rowden7 Senior Member

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    Yea after I posted this I went for a drive on A1A around 10 pm and there was no one on the street and Friday night was the same way no one was on A1A. It looks like the eye is going to miss the East Coast and hit the West Coast. In Broward County we have a curfew at 4 pm and there is no one out there. The power has been off and on all day starting around 2 pm.
  10. coggin1

    coggin1 New Member

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    hope everyone has found a safe place to wait it out, be safe everyone
  11. GhostriderIII

    GhostriderIII Senior Member

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  12. JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    uber.jpg
  13. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    IMG_6002.JPG

    Sunken sportfish at Grove Harbor, miami. I cant believe anyone stayed there as it is fully exposed to the E Thru NE.

    My old hatt made it at dinner key, although with some rubrail and cosmetic damage on the port side, along with handrail. Slip is too narrow. Apparently took one or possibly two pilings as the lines stretched. One boat sank across from me and most on the pier have damage.

    Still going to stay anchored in Eleuthera today and head back tomorrow or wed.
  14. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    90 footer at montys coconut grove got loose and backed jnto shoreline. Ahrd aground. Heavy dock damage. Cant post pic, no mine, CC concern
  15. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    Thanks for updates, glad you are safe and dry (for the most part!)

    Leaving a fairly new and expensive SF in an less than protected location makes me think ignorance or they really did not want that SF anymore?
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The 70 footer i used to run was there and anything over 30kts from the E was tenable... i dont get it, safety was just 150nm east.
  17. 101TUG

    101TUG Senior Member

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    ST Barth
    en route to St Barth passing Nevis
    4 or 5T cargo on deck for first aid
    ETA 8:00pm local
  18. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Looks like they want a new fleet. Stoopid!
  19. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Not much they can do with such a huge slow fleet... not neough local captains to move them.

    Faster boats on the others hand, like the large yachts destroyed in st maarten is a puzzle. Staying made no sense

    Same with miami... lote of damage in coconut grove with probably 30+ boats sank including a mumbef of Sportfish and motoryacht which could, should have escaped.

    Every insurance policy in so fl requires a written hurricane plan. Obviously these guys didnt follow their plans... i wonder if insurance will pay.

    https://instagram.com/p/BY55sPblo9d/
  20. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    You don't know that without seeing their hurricane plan. Ours does not commit to moving a boat. It makes it clear that these are just the various options we may consider, but may not do any of them and that human safety is our primary concern. Then it indicates choices including moving the boat to another area or hauling it. However, it indicates our most likely choice is to secure it in it's normal slip and we give diagrams of how we'd tie it. We also say that, if not in FLL, then we'd look first for a floating dock with pilings above likely surge.

    The photos seen reflect specific marinas and boats. From those I've seen they have included marinas with fixed docks, limited fingers. They have included floating docks but inadequate piles. Still the damage I've seen has been at least partly poorly tied boats, has been several sailboats that flipped over, and has included sinkings of boats where their bilge pumps failed or they were swamped due to their stern toward the waves. Now, the vast majority of boats I've seen personally in Fort Lauderdale have little to no damage. Many, including ours, just floated upright in their slips without issue. The majority in the canals around us were tied well and survived. A couple of sailboats had issues and at least one larger boat broke loose and damaged some neighbor boats as well.

    We briefly considered running to NC, but more for us than the boat. However, we decided to stay put. Many people moved boats to the west coast and that turned out most unfortunate. Had the storm shifted the same amount East as it did West, the Bahamas might not have worked so well. Cancun was probably a good move as long as done soon enough.

    I think it's fair to say the boats you mention perhaps should have done something different than they did. I don't know their specifics. But it's not fair to say "should have escaped." It's impossible for every boat in FL to escape elsewhere. That's why more marinas are building in a way to give boats a better chance in a hurricane.

    You protected a boat well, your way. However, that's not the only way, and many who tried to do as you did, chose the wrong direction.