Hurricane fatigue

Usually by this time of year we all can breathe a sigh of relief about the season being over, but not this year, especially for the snake-bit central and western Gulf coast. Being on the eastern edge of the uncertainty cone at the moment makes us thankful not to be centered in the cone, but it is still early... I friend who just sailed his boat to Mobile (currently dead center of the cone) from here this week and is now departing for storm evasion up the Tenn-Tom Waterway, saying, "Are you KIDDING me?!" As a minimum we will be getting a yard full of bayou water and maybe have to remove the boat from the lift under the boathouse to prevent bad things happening to both boat and roof. Forecast tracks show a pretty fast mover this time, which is good from a flooding perspective. So come on Zeta, do your worst and then get gone with ya. Photo shows how close Sally came to ruining the day and why we are moving the boat when future storms threaten surge.

I suppose that if we didn't have these things, we would be overrun with population explosion here on both land and water in paradise.

I can't believe the number of storms that have taken that track this year. Unreal.

I guess you could look on the bright side - statistically, the next few years should be pretty lean!!

Haul boat out, put back in, haul boat out, put back in...getting a little old!

Hurricane season is not over till the end of November sooooo, "It aint over til the fat lady sings." or the turkey is history.

It just doesn't seem to end for the Northern Gulf this year. Hope for the best and stay safe. Will be heading South in a week or so, and really need this hurricane season to over with.

Ted

You could move here, we don’t have a hurricane season...

Comodave said:

You could move here, we don’t have a hurricane season...

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Nice place to visit, but to short a boating season.

Ted

Greetings,
Mr. C. Re: Post #6. YES, #6!

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. C. Re: Post #6. YES, #6!

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I did that one time many years ago. Rolled 4.5 times without a seatbelt on... It was quite painful.

boathealer said:

I can't believe the number of storms that have taken that track this year. Unreal.

I guess you could look on the bright side - statistically, the next few years should be pretty lean!!

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Unfortunately, there is no such statistical probability related to storms. Just as the Hurricane Center - I once saw the director comment on this subject.

Comodave said:

You could move here, we don’t have a hurricane season...

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Here being Michigan? I would be whatever the opposite of a snowbird is. Been through the MI area on a boat and loved it, in July. First I'd have to have hurricane-proof home here which I could leave without worries, but living on the water, well, as Michael showed me, I need to be HERE to handle the fallout.

Hey Rich:

We were thinking of you when we saw Zeta's projected track. Do you have a marina nearby that can lift and store your boat during this one?

Hurricanes are definitely the bane of those of us living near the Gulf, and y'all up there in the Panhandle have had a mighty tormented few years.

I've realized over the years that trying to predict the storm surge of any given hurricane boils down to basically a wild-ass guess.

Cheers and Stay Safe,
Mrs. Trombley

Hi there. You guys down there in the Tampa area have done well this season, but you never know, next one could be YOUR year.

There is a yard within fifteen minutes of my which would haul the boat, IF I paid the 1500 buck or so a year for the pleasure of just being on their haul list and then paid the usual haul out fee when the boat is lifted. However, I do not consider hauling out during storms a good idea. This yard had a ton of boats toppled over during Hurricane Michael, and even if your boat was not affected, the insurance investigations locked down the yard down for weeks afterward. Michael was exceptionally strong, but I have seen too many photos of toppled boats in marinas all over the eastern half of the country to trust my boat to a storm haul. No, I have many better options and plenty of anchors and rode to secure my boat.

This morning I noted that the tide was about 6 inches higher than normal at high tide - makes me wonder if we are already seeing influences. I am actually pretty good at predicting surge here. The photo above shows the surge at just about where I thought it might be, but as I have said before, that was too close for comfort, and I should have moved the boat out from under the shed. I am guessing that I will see the water lapping at the bottom or maybe a foot over my pier boards at worst with Zeta. Our weax guy is not too worried about much more than 40 MPH winds for a short time on Wed-Thur.

Tied the most hurricanes in a year already. Definitely most to hit that area. Feel for you. We've seen none this year.

rgano said:

Hi there. You guys down there in the Tampa area have done well this season, but you never know, next one could be YOUR year.

However, I do not consider hauling out during storms a good idea. This yard had a ton of boats toppled over during Hurricane Michael, and even if your boat was not affected, the insurance investigations locked down the yard down for weeks afterward. Michael was exceptionally strong, but I have seen too many photos of toppled boats in marinas all over the eastern half of the country to trust my boat to a storm haul. No, I have many better options and plenty of anchors and rode to secure my boat.

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Yes, at some point we will get a hurricane surge into Tampa Bay that will cause billions in damage.

You remind me of why we purchased a "trailerable trawler." When a hurricane approaches, we motor Mariso onto her trailer at our neighborhood boat ramp, and then tow her to a storage spot inland.

This is much less expensive, much less hassle, and much less worry than having her hauled at a boat yard or trying to find a "hurricane hole" to anchor up for the storm.

For us, there are additional reasons to own a trailerable liveaboard, but the ability to easily pull her from the water when a hurricane approaches was the primary reason this vessel appealed to us.

And we agree wholeheartedly, the Gulf coast is a special place. However, it's just too damn hot in the summertime down here in St. Petersburg.

Cheers and Stay Safe,
Mrs. Trombley

I remember having to cut a holiday trip to the beach short and flee Hurricane Kate a few days before December. In the mid 1980's...

Miz Trom said:

Yes, at some point we will get a hurricane surge into Tampa Bay that will cause billions in damage.

You remind me of why we purchased a "trailerable trawler." When a hurricane approaches, we motor Mariso onto her trailer at our neighborhood boat ramp, and then tow her to a storage spot inland.

This is much less expensive, much less hassle, and much less worry than having her hauled at a boat yard or trying to find a "hurricane hole" to anchor up for the storm.

For us, there are additional reasons to own a trailerable liveaboard, but the ability to easily pull her from the water when a hurricane approaches was the primary reason this vessel appealed to us.

And we agree wholeheartedly, the Gulf coast is a special place. However, it's just too damn hot in the summertime down here in St. Petersburg.

Cheers and Stay Safe,
Mrs. Trombley

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At 12,00 pounds and 10 feet in beam, my boat is "trailerable," but the width I believe being over 8 feet requires things like escort and permits etc. When I studied on this boat purchase I came across a sistership in Jacksonville which was advertised with a trailer for storm evasion, but I think that boat was moved a very short distance. For trailering I would be having to buy a very expensive prime mover plus trailer to haul this beast up a ramp. Then there is the twelve and a half feet of keel-to-radar plus probably another couple of feet of ground clearance. It all adds up to a lot of heartburn when a good location and proper ground tackle will answer quite well.

Alaskaflyer said:

I remember having to cut a holiday trip to the beach short and flee Hurricane Kate a few days before December. In the mid 1980's...

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In 30 years here (OMG, has it been THAT long), we have seen one 'cane here after October 5 (Opal 1995), and that was the record busting Cat 5 Michael in '18, and we are still pretty well devastated here.

You’re not kidding. We are moving our boat to our hurricane hole for the third time this year, this morning.

Fortunately this storm is forecast to stay on the weak side, 75kts. If the forecast holds!!

Hang on guys! Wishing for the best.

So back in August I storm tied and prepped my boat due to Laura. Then, later that week, my back blew out. By the time that was resoved, the next storm was out there. With my back still too tender to use the boat, I left it in storm prep mode. Then my bride contracted Wuhan and I was quarantined. Long story short, I'm all ready for Zeta. Great planning (not). I think this stretch of the coast has been in the cone for about three weeks since the end of August.

Even without the wind damage, the watermen on Mississippi Sound have been hammered by storm surge and near perpetual evacuations.

Group9 said:

You’re not kidding. We are moving our boat to our hurricane hole for the third time this year, this morning.

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I remember moving my trawler to its hole and putting out all my anchors four times one year. You are truly snake-bit this year. Looks like I will be able to leave the boat in the lift for this one, but I have until noon tomorrow to make any last minute decision to move from under the shed.

rgano said:

I suppose that if we didn't have these things, we would be overrun with population explosion here on both land and water in paradise.

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I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Zeta's track this morning shows it missing our house by about 500 yards) and I always say that we should get down on our knees and thank God for hurricanes every single day, because otherwise, we couldn't afford to live here.

sbu22 said:

So back in August I storm tied and prepped my boat due to Laura. Then, later that week, my back blew out. By the time that was resoved, the next storm was out there. With my back still too tender to use the boat, I left it in storm prep mode. Then my bride contracted Wuhan and I was quarantined. Long story short, I'm all ready for Zeta. Great planning (not). I think this stretch of the coast has been in the cone for about three weeks since the end of August.

Even without the wind damage, the watermen on Mississippi Sound have been hammered by storm surge and near perpetual evacuations.

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I understand. I was in a car wreck that totaled my Jeep three weeks ago and severely strained my back. Yesterday morning, it was finally feeling almost normal again. But, after pulling lines and other boat moving stuff for two boats yesterday, I definitely regressed about a week. Two weeks ago, when I had to move it for the last hurricane, I had to take my nephew and a friend, and just watch while they did it.

The only good thing is, we (another boat owner and I) already have the lines cut for where we tied up to trees in the bend of a bayou, and we are getting faster and faster at doing it this year!

Thinking of Randy Newman's song Louisiana.

rgano said:

Thinking of Randy Newman's song Louisiana.

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Wifey B: Louisiana 1927

Wifey B: Sadly, one needs to put the song, Louisiana 1927 in perspective. Flood waters were diverted from New Orleans to poorer areas destroying those areas. Then President Coolidge showed little sympathy for the human suffering and made a callous remark even. Many felt Katrina was treated similarly. Here's some background on the song.

https://americansongwriter.com/randy-newman-louisiana-1927/

The saddest thing to me is to note that today a hurricane or any other disaster receives very different attention based on where and who. Puerto Rico, USVI, Mexico Beach, FL, Louisiana, The Bahamas, get scant attention compared to Miami, Key West, Tampa. Yes, in dollars the damage may be less but not in human damage and suffering. We've seen it with floods in the poor areas of Eastern SC and NC. Harvey got tremendous attention to Houston, but even areas like Rockport were getting very little help.

I feel for those of you in the hurricane paths of 2020 who have faced one after the other. Fortunately, the damage hasn't been as catastrophic as it could have been so far. But I'm bothered by the lesser attention some areas get than others and the lesser help in recovery.

So, while I'm glad we've been spared here in Fort Lauderdale this year, I'm saddened by the continued hurricanes hitting your area. I'm glad this one is still only a CAT 1 and hope any damage is minimal.

I was in Rockport, TX shortly after Harvey and I saw the devastation and in SC after Florence. I saw the poorest of our society hit the hardest and provided the least assistance. I recall how quickly we got everything restored in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach after Irma but also how much help the keys got after hurricanes and it makes me feel sadness that all locations aren't treated equal.

Here's an article on Mexico Beach 500 days after Michael. https://www.newsherald.com/news/202...h-county-growing-back-and-not-backing-uprsquo

I see it here even on TF sometimes that a hurricane headed toward Florida gets far more talk than Louisiana and I know that's because there are more of us here. Just we need to be aware of the damage to lives caused by all the storms of this year and other years and measure storms in that form of destruction, not just in dollar values.

Just seems that not as much has changed since 1927 as we might wish.

We are also in our hurricane hole for the third time this season. Lately, when asked “where do you live”, the answer is “in the cone of uncertainty”.

Get out your high water boots (Again)- Zeta's a cat2 now maybe more by the time she gets up your way. Hate it for you guys. Best call I've made in a while to truck Starlite up river. Was looking at Barber for next year, but even that really first class marina was badly damaged this year. See what happens this time around. Iron Planet has some surplus 3 axle boat trailers on their web auction web site (10,000 lbs) - but not sure you would be any better off with a short move to higher ground vs the big anchor. Ever consider a private hurricane mooring in front of your dock??


Headed up to the slip to tighten lines and zip up all canvas - winds here are suppose to get up to 30 mph tomorrow - there goes the fall color trip up to the canyon.


Be safe and best of luck with the storm.
Larry & Gean.

Olebird said:

Ever consider a private hurricane mooring in front of your dock??

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I will not need to evacuate the slip for Zeta. We are looking at only 1-3 feet of surge and that is measured at the beach, fourteen miles away from us.

A storm mooring out in front of the slip would present me the need to keep it serviced, and it would be in direct line with 2 miles of fetch. I saw my neighbor anchor his 40-foot Norhaven out there years ago an was amazed how that boat got tossed around. Better for me to got a couple hundred yards up the bayou around a corner and spider web.

My friend took his 34-foot Hunter snailbote from its normal slip in Panama City Beach to the Mobile area last week to explore around within a day or two of his Mobile dirt home, something he does a couple times a year. To evade Zeta, he ran fifty miles up the Tenn-Tom to the Alabama River cutoff on Monday. He has only two Fortress anchors, a 17 and a 23. He is in a narrow part of the east-west channel with less than a hundred feet to either forested shore and with less than a quarter mile of fetch both up and downstream. The boat is headed east with the larger anchor off the bow with about 100 feet of 5/8 twisted nylon rode and the smaller one is aft with about fifty feet of the same rode. He is in ten feet of water. With winds predicted at 50 MPH gusting to 70 from SE in Citronelle just 20 miles away veering to SW at 2130 I foresee the winds funneling right down between the trees to directly on his bow until the wind shift when it then hits him from astern. My concern expressed to him is that the small stern anchor will probably not hold well, and the boat is simply not optimally anchored if the stern is exposed to that sort of wind. I worry that the stern anchor will drag right over the bow anchor entangling them so that neither would reset.

His stated intention is that unless the boat is sinking, he will NOT go topside once he retires at sunset; so there will be NO attempt to change whatever anchor arrangement he has at that time. I guess if I hear from him in the morning, I will find out how it all went and whether or not he did anything with the stern anchor.

He checked the bottom with the anchor which came up clean; so he left both anchors in their sand setting which in sand is much stronger than the mud setting in loose mud which is what I thought he might find.