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nchored in tranquil
Privateer Bay in
aquamarine waters on
board a beautiful 51ft
power catamaran, we
took a moment after
serving our guests
canapés and ice
cold Pouilly Fume to
download the daily
weather forecast.
We saw perfectly calm
weather predicted for the
next three or four days. We
also checked the National
Hurricane Centre (NHC)
website and there, located
close to the Cape Verde
Islands over 1,000 miles to
our east, was a depression
becoming organised.
For the following three
days we continued the
charter with our six guests
cruising the crystal clear
waters of the British Virgin
Islands all the while continuing to
monitor the depression. Our guests
were stunned by the natural beauty of
the islands and the breathtaking
snorkelling the waters have to offer
while enjoying wonderful cuisine
prepared by Chef Niki.
In regular contact with our base we
all became more interested in the
depression, which had now formed
into a hurricane. The NHC prediction
model showed Hurricane Irma now
heading directly towards the Leeward
Islands and then on to the BVIs.
The Moorings Base offi ce informed
us to be prepared to be recalled, so
asked us not to travel too far away
from base. Our American guests, after
a lengthy discussion, decided to ‘get
the hell out!’ while they had thechance, having experienced hurricanes
before. We dropped them off in Trellis Bay,
Beef Island to jump on the fi rst available
fl ight out and we motored back to base in
Road Bay Marina, Tortola.
On arrival we found the base a hive of
activity. Hundreds of yachts were being
secured and stripped of their sails; all were
anchored with canopies removed in
preparation for Irma. After securing our
beloved Allie Cat we joined the team of
workers stripping the boats of lifebuoys,
barbecues, cushions, winch handles and
any other potential missiles.
We made the most of the last few hours
of daylight to raft up the fi nal yachts
coming in from their charters. Hundreds of
tyres were sourced locally and put into
black polythene bags to be used as
additional fenders. Whole new drums of
warp were rolled out of the store to be cut
to length for us to use. No expense was
spared to secure the millions of pounds
worth of yachts lying within the marina.We took refuge in a small basement
bedroom in The Moorings hotel next to the
marina with six other crew members, as
the wind started to pick up through the
night. A couple of shots of rum helped
ease the tension before we bunked down
on the fl oor to get a few hours rest before
Irma came knocking in the early hours.
By fi rst light the wind was at gale force.
On stepping out of our room we could see
debris starting to gather: branches from
trees, loose panels off old buildings and
guttering. Yachts were already jerking
against their mooring lines and the line of
rafted yachts was already starting to snake.
This was just the beginning, the outer
bands of Irma were already causing
signifi cant damage. We stood in a partially
covered passageway between two
buildings to observe the yachts, but by
1000 it was getting hard to physically resist
the force of the wind, and fl ying debris was
becoming a danger. By 1100 the roar and
strength of the wind was our cue to returnIrma Survivor
Scott and Niki Smith describe surviving Hurricane Irma in
Road Bay Marina, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
Scott and Niki Smith
grew up in the
Channel Islands and
have been around
boats most of their
lives. After hosting
friends and family
on their own boat
they gained
commercial
qualifi cations in
2016 and have since
worked in the
charter business.ABOUT THE AUTHOR
These charter catamarans were lifted up and thrown around like toysDevastation
caused by
Hurricane Irma