Cruising World – May 2018

may 2018

cruisingworld.com

62

L

ocation, location,

location. No, I’m not try-

ing to sell you a house, but we

are talking real estate here, as

in where to keep your boat

when a hurricane threatens

the U.S. East Coast.

After experiencing 2003’s

Hurricane Isabel on the

Chesapeake, having the good

luck to be late coming south in

2012, thus missing Hurricane

Sandy, and then a near miss of

Hurricane Irma’s ferocity last

fall while in the central Florida

region, I’ve decided, no more

hurricanes for me, thanks

(well, hopefully). But in the

process of preparing for (or

running from) those three and

a couple of others in the years

between, and having watched

the paths of other tropical

cyclones, I’ve developed a list

of hurricane holes in case I get

caught out.

Just what makes a hurricane

hole? There are two things I

look for: protection from wind

and protection from waves.

Given a choice of one or the

other, I’ll opt for protection

from waves over wind. If you

don’t buy into that thinking,

just watch any video of a boat

in the water during a hurricane.

It’s not the wind that causes

the damage or pulls anchors

loose. Thus, I’m on the lookout

for an enclosed area with little

to no fetch, and with hills or

tall trees surrounding it.

FLORIDA

On Florida’s east coast, in

my opinion, there is no bet-

ter hurricane hole than Har-

bor Square Marina on the

Canaveral Barge Canal. It’s a

square-shaped marina dug into

the side of the canal. There

is absolutely no exposure to

fetch, and the banks are 15 to

20 feet above the water’s sur-

face. Plus, there is a line of

trees on two sides, offering

further protection from wind.

Adding to that, there is no tide

due to the lock on the barge

canal.

Just how secure is it? When

I docked my boat Gypsy Wind

there to wait out Irma, I had

just tossed out an old bicycle

that had been rusting away on

the deck. I deliberately left

some rust fl akes topside, out

of curiosity to see just how

much wind there might be.

When I returned, the rust

fl akes were still there. It was

as if there had been no wind at

all inside the basin. Just 3 miles

3 SHELTER FROM THE STORM

If you’re in the path of a tropical cyclone on the U.S. East Coast, you need to locate a safe place to keep

your boat. Read on for tips on finding the right hurricane hole from an experienced ICW sailor.

BY WALLY MORAN

Popular as a storm refuge

among boat owners in cen-

tral Florida, Harbor Square

Marina was chockablock

with vessels for Irma.

WALLY MORAN

GEAR UP

Once you’ve found a safe

place to keep your boat in

a storm, give yourself time

to make sure that you have

enough lines and chafe

gear to keep it secure. If

not, a trip to the chandlery

will be in order.