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Recent Discussions
We went on a little adventure sailing from St Thomas to Key West. We stopped in Puerto Plata, DR to provision. We were sailing on the tail end and remnants of Otto. Upon waiting for a weather window for a few days we decided to pack it up and tether in for the 5 day journey to Key West. As we refueled the Dominican Navy tried to ground us as they said the weather was too bad in a very broken version of a combination of around 3 languages. We were helping bring a friend's boat back that was chartered in the BVI and now does Cuba out of Stock Island. The DR Navy had no jurisdiction over us as we were an international vessel. The weather called for 25 knots and 10 footers. We decided that we can hang in that and had to pull our cards and use the international vessel law. Getting out of the channel in Oceanworld was a bit of a task as it has a huge reef next to it. With a lot of discussion, hand signals and gestures they let us go. Crazy ride as the seas built and the waves were closer to 20 and 35+ knots. We had a safe voyage but definately a tethered adventure. Point is to know your laws and capabilities when stopping in other countries.
Hello, Please let me know if you run into anything that doesn't seem to work or is frustrating. I am trying to get the bugs out before 1/1 as I will start marketing the site and am hoping it will be hmming along as we welcome new sailmonsters.
Thanks!
Large hurricanes are a tremendous danger to you and yours on both land and the sea.
A few simple tips that can ease scrambling at the end.
- Stock up on supplies ahead of time. Being in the USA we take a lot for granted. However, in times of tragedy supplies will come but when is the issue.
- Water, food, candles, flashlights etc... If the power goes in your house or marina there will be no way to contact anyone as backup generators will only last so long. Have tons of water, put it in pots if you have to while you have it. Soups are great as they can be eaten cold and of course, noodles, rice etc... Protein powders are good as well. Freeze as much ice as possible. It may be hours or days without power and if prepared you can make it for days with block ice in a fridge. Cooking is doable if you have a grill or camp stove. Most in Florida have electric stoves which obviously wont work. If you have babies, diapers, extra formula/baby food and TP is a necessity that can cause an issue as well. Remember, with out power water to flush will be gone too. Think ahead on that number 2. Medical supplies and clean clothes are always at a premium, stock up and that as well.
- Boats. This is a biggie. The biggest killer is lines on a dock or mooring snapping from lack of stretch. Tying your boat with extra lines is a given but long backups from front to back are overlooked often. Fenders on all sides are a good idea at both a slip or a mooring. Strip everything you can off the boat. Duct taping hatches and ports are a great idea. On mooring I would run lifting straps from the rear cleats to the bow, joined with line to have a point where they pull to center. Do not use lifting straps straight to the ball. It will rip out cleats or the bow. Loop an extra line as many times to the tied V on the lifting strap through the chocks and than looped through the mooring hoop. This is an oh shit back up that will have stretch and absorb shock. Scope is your friend! If at anchor a bimini setup works well (look it up). Load spread to to anchors . By all means, insurance is your friend.
If you are a trailer sailor strap down your boat. I have seen on several occasions boats being tipped over from wind. Dog screws help. Strap down on several points after deflating tires to get it low as possible. If it is a honker, fill hull with some water if possible. And of course, strip sails biminis etc....
-Land based, anything that you can move has to come down. If you have a pool throw lawn furniture in the pool. Wall hangings, pots, decorations, solar lights and more can become projectiles. Trees should be trimmed as well. What is up can come down.
Have an after the storm meeting area established. Odds are communication will be days out. Plan ahead and have a secondary location to get to should you need. By all means stay away from the shore.
These are some basic tips and by all means does not guarantee safety. Please feel free to add on and most of all be safe.
#hurricane
So some of us that are blessed to live in Florida have an ongoing battle with humidity. As much as I would like to live the dream and sail all the time the reality is 99% of us are weekend warriors and our boats sit. I have tried a few things, solar fans, damprid, dehumidifiers etc... They do help however most besides the fan is hard to keep up with. Damprid maxes out in days and not everyone can keep the AC running or a dehumdifier going non stop at anchor or even a slip.
A few tips to help:
*5 gallon bucket filled with cheap charcoal. It sucks up the moisture very well and can last a pretty long time.
*spray your freshly cleaned surfaces with Lysol on a regular basis - seems to prevent mold, reapply every time you leave.
*For those who can't handle bleach use hydrogen peroxide for cleaning. The brown bottle stuff and a spray bottle:)