Hurricane Isabel
As I watch the news and hope this storm misses the U.S., I'm wondering how you folks on the east coast can possibly prepare your boats for it? I'll keep a good thought for you all. Bob F. quot;Andiamoquot;I think the easties are all out prepping their boats for it...but I read an interesting article (might have been the latest Practical Sailor - a letter) recently which discussed the fact that most line failures in heavy weather were not external chafe, but rather internal heating generated by the tremendous stretch forces the line encounters - the lines literally melted from within. I found this surprising...
Here in Hilton Head Island, SC, we're watching the forecasted path of Isabel very attentively! Meanwhile, I got the sails off Someday Lady (1983 H34), checked the ground tackle, and am ready to put her out away from the marina on a moment's notice. Keeping our fingers crossed!
As we watch the news get worse we have decided to haul out. The tidal surge is going to be around 12 ft. Our insurance will pay half the haul oout if a quot;warningquot; is issued. We plan to strip the boat down and hope for the best. Our alternate plan is to take the boat to a hurricane hole and again hope for the best.
...and we're still debating the subject of hauling our H23 or letting her ride it out. We're fairly well protected in a marina with floating dock in a cove off the western shore of the Barnegat Bay. Of course, there is danger of damage not only if our boat gets torn from her slip, but also if other boats do. I guess it's also reasonable to assume the dock itself could get ripped apart, too! However, since our boat is small, and we do have a trailer, I suspect we'll pull her out and bring her inland on Wednesday if it looks like Isabel is going to pay us a visit. But before I batten down the hatches,I gotta go for a sail... Good luck to all! Jim Maroldo s/v: quot;'Lil Wass Ett IIIquot;
If the mast is left standing, what ever you do, be sure to remove the roller fucler jib! Roller fucler jibs have a propensity to come un-fucled and can cause major problems if this happens.
out. The surge is to be anywhere from 8-13 feet with a possible 10' waves in the bay and 5' in the South River. All this is according to the dock manager. The pilings are only 5' high. What happens when the water recedes and you're not there to guide your boat back into her slip?!! Cross all the fingers you want, we're sailing to Baltimore to hopefully keep her in one piece.
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