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Prepare Your Boat or Yacht for a Storm

Most boating enthusiasts tend to listen closely to weather forecasts, especially during hurricane season, officially June 1st through November 30th. Boaters should pay close attention and track all tropical depression storms as they make their way across the Atlantic just above the equator. When it appears that a hurricane might be headed your way, do you have a hurricane action plan to put into motion?

Boat and yacht owners with an action plan in place have a major advantage over the ad hoc (scramble method) of preparation. When creating a plan, evaluate your location in advance. What are your local storage options for weathering an approaching storm? What should you do to get your craft prepared for the tempest?

Here are some suggestions and points to consider:

Planning Issues
Storage in a Marina
Storage on a Mooring
Storage in a protected waterway or a hurricane hole
Hauling and storing ashore
Ship preparation: preparing the boat itself

Planning issues: be prepared

• Write down your hurricane plan and keep it in your car, your boat, and at home.
• Buy and stockpile necessary supplies associated with your plan. Boating stores tend to run out of docklines, additional fenders, etc. as the storm approaches.
• If you are going to take your craft to a special location to weather the storm, do a practice run once every year or so. You'll be glad you did this when you're trying to get there in adverse and deteriorating conditions. Plus, you will know in advance how long it will take you to get there.
• If you're headed inland, find out when drawbridges on your route get locked down. In some places, this happens once a hurricane warning is in effect. Imagine your frustration as you are headed for safe waters with a hurricane approaching, and you can't get through a bridge. This happened to a number of boaters before Hurricane Andrew struck.
• Don't ever stay with your boat. Get off of it and head for safe haven. 50% of all hurricane deaths are related to boat owners who are scrambling to secure their boats in worsening hurricane conditions.
  

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Storage in a Marina

• How protected is the marina from open water? Marinas protected by a jetty or breakwater may not be when a storm surge goes 15 to 20 feet above a usual spring tide. If the seawall is breached, how much fetch will there be for waves to build and is there open ocean on the other side of the seawall?
• Does the dockmaster have a hurricane or storm plan (some require evacuation, others leave every other slip open, necessitating that a system be in place to indicate which boats have to evacuate). Inspect the quality of the dock cleats, piling hoops, and pilings to determine if they appear robust enough to withstand the tremendous pressure of a storm.
• Try to face the bow of the boat towards open water as it is more suited to exposure to large waves.
• A study after Hurricane Andrew found that approximately 50% of yacht losses were caused by short dock lines. Use lines roughly as long as the boat. You will need the cooperation of other boat owners in the marina to make use of all the docks, as you will be criss-crossing the slips and boats with lines. Use double chaffing gear wherever lines can rub against pilings, chocks, windlasses, etc.
• The storm surge could float your boat well above the tops of the pilings, so make sure that lines tied to the pilings can't slip off the tops. Try to assure that your dock line arrangement keeps your boat centered in the slip. As the storm surge recedes, yachts have been impaled by pilings.
  

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Storage in a Mooring

• A robust mooring can be a good alternative to a marina slip if the mooring doesn't drag, your boat has less chance of slamming into docks and pilings. In addition, your ship can swing and face into the wind...a distinct advantage over having it in a fixed position regardless of the direction of the wind.
• Increase scope from its usual normal ratio to at least 10:1. If you are using an all chain rode, use a strong snubber line approximately 10% of the length of the chain. This will help reduce jerking as the snubber acts as a shock absorber.
• After increasing the scope, make sure that there is significant swing room between yachts.
• If you cannot obtain a suitable mooring with adequate swing room, consider using three storm anchors dropped 120 degrees apart joined by an oversized swivel. This arrangement is one of the few anchor-based arrangements that has a track record of holding in a hurricane. It also allows the boat to swing in a narrower arc than a single line mooring, a real benefit in a crowded harbor.
• Chaffing gear and double lines are key since tremendous pressure is placed on the bow chocks, cleats, and mooring fittings.
• Double check the deck hardware to which your mooring lines will be attached. Make sure that there is a good backing plate on the cleats that will be handling the load.
  

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Storage in a protected waterway, hurricane hole, inland canal or backwater

• Hurricane holes are found inland and are typically protected by tall well-rooted trees that will shield the residents of the hurricane hole or cove from the brunt of the storm. Cruising guides often refer to hurricane holes in their indices. If you can get to one in time, they are a great place to weather a storm.
• Consider using two storm anchors placed well away from the boat at about 45 degrees away from the shore. Tie off to the trees on the shore side at approximately 45 degree angles off of the bow and stern. You will need a lot of line and chaffing gear to make sure that you have enough scope to handle the surge.
• Make sure you are in water that is two to three times your boat's draft at low tide. Sometimes wind blows water out of places, and you don't want to end up on the rocks.
• If you are going to be in a canal or backwater, try to tie your boat off so that it is in the center of the canal or backwater...again with plenty of scope for the surge.
• If you can't tie off in the canal, consider using three storm anchors dropped 120 degrees apart joined by an oversized swivel. This arrangement is one of the few anchor-based arrangements that has a track record of holding in a hurricane.
  

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Hauling and storing ashore

• MIT conducted a study after Hurricane Gloria and concluded that yachts taken out of the water had a much lower incidence of damage than yachts left in the water to ride out the storm.
• Hauling and storing ashore is the usually the best way to protect your yacht. However, you still have to take significant precautions in tying down and securing your boat, especially since many boat yards are only marginally above sea level.
• Use more jack stands that you normally would and chain them together. In addition, consider using plywood over top of the jack stand pads to distribute the load of the hull. Depending on the anticipated storm surge, you may want to consider using lines to tie off to anything that you think will not move during the storm.
  

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Ship Preparation: Preparing the boat itself to weather the tempest

• Clear everything off the deck on both sail and motor yachts. Dinghy, antennas, biminis, life raft, outriggers should all be removed and (ideally) taken home.
• On sailboats, take all sails off the boat, especially if you have a roller furling jib. These present a lot of windage and often unfurl during the storm with rather unfortunate results.
• Take the boom off of the boat, if possible. Consider using one messenger line to run all halyards up the mast so that only one line will be exposed to the wind.
• In a hurricane, rain blows up, down, and sideways. You will have to seal off every vent and cover closed hatches on the boat either with plywood or plastic and duct tape. If you can, take the vent scopes off completely and seal off the hole. This is ideal, as it also reduces windage.
• All thru-hulls in the boat should be plugged, except for the bilge pump outlet. All non-drainage seacocks should be closed and the exhaust outlet sealed to prevent water from getting into the engine and engine compartment.
• Make sure your batteries are charged up and that all electrical equipment is turned off except for the bilge pump. Check that the bilge pump is operational and free of debris.
• Close the fuel tank, turn fuel off to the engine, and close any propane or alcohol stoves.
• If possible, remove all electronics from the boat. If this is not possible, try to board them up and put duct tape over them.
• Remove all books and papers from the boat. Wet paper can clog in the bilges and prevent water from being pumped out if the cabin is flooded.
• Check any place that you think water could enter the boat and seal it off.
  

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