[C320-list] Insurance survey

[Jack Brennan]

As a veteran of six Florida hurricanes in the last 14 years, I'll point out 
that it's not always better to haul out.

Waves kill boats in the water, not wind. If you have a slip in a 
well-protected marina or on a sheltered canal, you're usually better off 
staying there and adding lines, reducing windage and making appropriate 
arrangements to deal with high waters.

If you plan to haul out, take a good look at what the boatyard does. Is it 
likely to flood, in which case the boats might get knocked off by water? Are 
there substantial tiedowns? You have a lot of windage when your boat is up 
on stands.

My old C&C 25 survived four category 1 and 2 hurricanes in 2004-5 on a helix 
mooring at Crandon Park Marina in Key Biscayne.  (Very few boatyards in 
Florida, so no chance of a haulout.) The mooring field was sheltered behind 
a spoil island, with land on the other sides.

Unfortunately, there was one little slot where waves could get through if 
the wind blew from the SSW. Well, Hurricane Wilma in 2005 nailed that slot 
with 130 mph gusts and wiped out half the mooring field, including my boat.

The helix mooring held, but the five lines I had tied to it snapped one 
after another as huge waves rolled in.

During Irma last year, my old Bristol 30 was in a well-protected marina in 
Gulfport, Fl. No problems, except for when all the water ran out of Tampa 
Bay for a couple of hours! All of the boats were sitting on their keels. 
Some lines broke, but no sinkings.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay










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