firstbase
Guru
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,644
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Black Eyed Susan
- Vessel Make
- Grand Banks 42' Classic
Some random notes from someone down here...
Some docks are hurricane rated, Cat 3, Cat 4. Ask your marina. Not sure if ANY are rated for a Cat 5.
I have been told that most times the damage comes from your neighbor in the next slip breaking loose and taking out the dock and then your boat in domino fashion. You should worry as much about them as you do your own.
If you are joining a "Hurricane Club" at a yard you pay an upfront fee for membership which guarantees you a spot on land. You then pay for everything else, hauling, blocking, etc. BE AWARE that the ones I talked to REQUIRED you to be there PRIOR to a Hurricane Watch being issued. If you wait until a Hurricane Watch is issued then you are NOT guaranteed a spot.
Hurricane Club cost at Indiantown Marina went from $250 to $750 after Hurricane Matthew last year. Not sure they have spots left. I spoke with them in April and there were some left open but that is pretty early in the year.
The marina I moved to in Jupiter closes down at a certain point before the storm. No one in or out. Dockmaster suggest that we should pull the boat partially out of the slip, put out an anchor, tie off to more substantial concrete/open pilings there are across the way, etc. I'm not sure how this would work but it is what he suggests.
Sunset Bay, mentioned above, is a pretty packed marina. There are some slips open during the summer but they are filled up when season starts in the fall. We looked at moving there and were told that they could get us in for the summer but they had no annual slips available. Not sure how much space they would have for a hurricane temp slip. Depends on the timing I guess.
Sunset Bay, Loggerhead, the marinas on the St Lucie or are, to my mind, very exposed to winds. Nothing much around them to knock down any wind. At Loggerhead you stand on the dock and stare straight out with little more than a bend in the river between you and the ocean.
Flying into Florida before a hurricane seems like a bad plan. Airports go crazy at those times as do rental car companies and hotels. You would have to time your trip for after a warning but enough time before a watch (if you are a hurricane club member) to get the boat moved and then find a place to stay or get back out of town.
Some docks are hurricane rated, Cat 3, Cat 4. Ask your marina. Not sure if ANY are rated for a Cat 5.
I have been told that most times the damage comes from your neighbor in the next slip breaking loose and taking out the dock and then your boat in domino fashion. You should worry as much about them as you do your own.
If you are joining a "Hurricane Club" at a yard you pay an upfront fee for membership which guarantees you a spot on land. You then pay for everything else, hauling, blocking, etc. BE AWARE that the ones I talked to REQUIRED you to be there PRIOR to a Hurricane Watch being issued. If you wait until a Hurricane Watch is issued then you are NOT guaranteed a spot.
Hurricane Club cost at Indiantown Marina went from $250 to $750 after Hurricane Matthew last year. Not sure they have spots left. I spoke with them in April and there were some left open but that is pretty early in the year.
The marina I moved to in Jupiter closes down at a certain point before the storm. No one in or out. Dockmaster suggest that we should pull the boat partially out of the slip, put out an anchor, tie off to more substantial concrete/open pilings there are across the way, etc. I'm not sure how this would work but it is what he suggests.
Sunset Bay, mentioned above, is a pretty packed marina. There are some slips open during the summer but they are filled up when season starts in the fall. We looked at moving there and were told that they could get us in for the summer but they had no annual slips available. Not sure how much space they would have for a hurricane temp slip. Depends on the timing I guess.
Sunset Bay, Loggerhead, the marinas on the St Lucie or are, to my mind, very exposed to winds. Nothing much around them to knock down any wind. At Loggerhead you stand on the dock and stare straight out with little more than a bend in the river between you and the ocean.
Flying into Florida before a hurricane seems like a bad plan. Airports go crazy at those times as do rental car companies and hotels. You would have to time your trip for after a warning but enough time before a watch (if you are a hurricane club member) to get the boat moved and then find a place to stay or get back out of town.