When a hurricane threatens their area, boat owners have a lot of decisions to make about how to get their watercrafts through the storm. If you keep your boat in a marina which allows boat to remain during hurricanes or have access to your own dock, you may choose to leave your boat at the dock, securing it with extra anchors and lines. You might also choose to take your boat out of the water and drive it inland. For some boats, like small, open boats or powerboats with low freeboard, this is the best option. But for other boats, neither of these options makes the best sense.

Leaving you boat in a crowded marina may the easiest option, but your boat has a higher risk of being damaged during a storm if it is docked around lots of other boats. The boat can easily be dislodged and knock into other boats. Other boats are simply too large move inland in case of an evacuation. Finding a hurricane hole for your boat may the best chance your boat has of surviving a vicious storm.

Hurricane holes areas of water where boats can be docked that are far enough inland that they do not suffer the worst of the storm surge and that provide some kind of natural protection from the wind associated with hurricanes. Mangroves, rivers, and canals are all great places to discover a hurricane hole. Look for an area with plenty of strong trees. Also, consider the waterbed - sand is the ideal bottom for hurricane holes, followed by clay, shells, and soft mud. Never choose a rocky bottom waterway to leave your boat in during a storm. Some storms blow the water right out some waterways, and the rocks would destroy your boat.

How you secure your boat in a hurricane hole depends on the location? In small, narrow waterways and canals, use the spider web method of tying up your boat. Secure the boat from the center, with lines tied to trees on the shoreline. The more lines you have, the better. Many boats survived the onslaught of Hurricane Andrew this way. In a wider waterway, use a combination of lines and anchors. Anchor the boat with Danforth anchors and then use lines tied to trees on the shore as extra security. Which ever method you choose, remember to point your boat in the direction of the entrance of the waterway, as far inland you can get, and move your boat outside of normal channels and as far away from other boats as possible.

Scouting out hurricane holes in advance of a storm is of the utmost importance. Some ideal holes are in private, residential canals, so it may be worthwhile to make an agreement with a homeowner along one of these canals. Remember how many people in your area will be looking for some place to put their boat during a storm - competition will be stiff and having plans A, B, and C will save you a lot of panicked, last minute hassle. Where you hurricane hole is, evacuate your boat there as soon as a storm threatens. If a mass evacuation is ordered, bridges will not open normally, if at all, to allow the car traffic to pass. Your boat may be stranded if you do not get out early. Above all else, never compromise your personal safety to protect your boat. Never, ever attempt to ride out a storm with your boat - you can’t prevent the storm from happening, and trying to do so could cost you your life. 

 

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