At the beginning of every hurricane season we are bombarded with all sorts of information about how to prepare for a storm. Seeing how the vast majority of storms come much later in the season I think most of us don't pay much attention to those early warnings, and most of the information you hear pertains to protecting your landside dwelling. Now that we're getting into the heart of the hurricane season and since this page pertains mostly to boating matters, I thought it a good idea to do a bit of a refresher course for what boat owners should do as a storm approaches. Much of the information herein is provided by Boat/US and you'll find tons more information--as well as a hurricanes preparedness check list--at: www.boatus.com/hurricanes.

And keep in mind, back in 1999 hurricane Floyd only gave us a glancing blow, but the next morning I went down to the docks and took the photos you see here. So keep in mind, even if we're expecting a minor storm or a near miss from a bigger one, you still need to prepare your boat to ride it out.

At a fixed dock

It is estimated by Boat/US that as many as 50 percent of the boats damaged at fixed docks during hurricanes could have been saved by using better dock lines: lines that were longer, larger, arranged better, and/or protected against chafing. If you decide to leave your boat at a dock, you'll need to devise a docking plan that is liable to be far different than your normal docking arrangement. By the time preparations are completed, your boat should resemble a spider suspended in the center of a large web. This web will allow the boat to rise on the surge, be bounced around by the storm, and still remain in position.

Take a look at your boat slip and its relation to the rest of the harbor. For most boats, you'll want to arrange the bow toward open water or, lacking that, toward the least protected direction. This reduces windage. The exception is boats with swim platforms, especially swim platforms that are integral to the hull. These boats have been sunk when their platforms were bashed against a bulkhead. If your boat's swim platform can't be kept safely away from a bulkhead, secure the boat with its stern toward open water.

Next, look for trees, pilings, and dock cleats—anything sturdy that could be used for securing dock lines. Not all pilings are sturdy. Old wood pilings that are badly deteriorated (rot, worms) should obviously not be relied on in a storm. The same is true of older concrete pilings, which seem to be more susceptible to snapping in two (and sometimes landing on boats) than their more pliant wood counterparts. Many of the boats that were wrecked in Hurricane Charley had been secured to concrete pilings that couldn't stand up to the lateral stress and twisting. And at least one marina in Pensacola had almost all its concrete pilings fail. All things being equal, wood is a better choice.

With most docking arrangements, lines will have to be fairly taut if the boat is going to be kept away from pilings. The key to your docking arrangement is to use long lines, the longer the better, to accommodate the surge. (A good rule of thumb: Storm dock lines should be at least as long as the boat itself.) You will probably want to use other boat owners' pilings (and vice versa), which calls for a great deal of planning and cooperation with slip neighbors and marina management.

Lines should also be a larger diameter to resist chafe and excessive stretching. On most boats, you should use 1/2" line for boats up to 25 feet; 5/8" line for boats 25 feet to 34 feet; and 3/4" to 1" lines for larger boats. Chafe protectors must be on any portion of the line that could be chafed by chocks, pulpits, pilings, etc. To secure lines to hard-to-reach outer pilings, put the eye on the piling so that lines can be adjusted from the boat. For other lines, put the eye on the boat to allow for final adjustment from the dock.

At a floating dock.

Because they rise with the surge, floating docks allow boats to be secured more readily than boats at fixed docks. There's no need to run lines to distant pilings because the boats and docks rise in tandem. Floating docks only offer protection from the surge, however, if—a HUGE if—the pilings are tall enough to accommodate the surge. In almost every major hurricane, there have been instances where the surge has lifted floating docks up and over pilings. When that happens, the docks and boats, still tied together, are usually washed ashore in battered clumps. I'm sure we all remember the photo of the mess of boats smashed up on Goat Island after Hugo.

In a dry storage rack

In Hurricane Wilma alone, three large steel storage racks with thousands of boats were collapsed. Typically, older storage racks are more vulnerable than ones that were constructed in the past few years. On newer buildings, the supports will be free of rust and the "loosening" effect of previous storms. Newer ones are also more likely to have been built to a higher standard with more and heavier structural supports to withstand higher winds. (A marina owner should know how much wind a steel building was designed to withstand.) If not, or if there is any doubt about the structure's ability to stand up to an approaching storm, boats on storage racks should be placed on trailers and taken elsewhere.

On a trailer

A trailer is, or should be, a ticket to take your boat inland to a more sheltered location away from the tidal surge. But your boat won't get far on a neglected trailer that has two flat tires and rusted wheel bearings. Inspect your trailer regularly to make sure it will be operable when it's needed.

If you take your boat home, you may want to leave it, and not your car, in the garage. A boat is lighter and more vulnerable to high winds than a car. If this isn't practical, put the boat and trailer where they will get the best protection from wind, falling branches, etc.

Let some air out of the trailer tires and block the wheels. You can increase the weight of lighter outboard boats by leaving the drain plug in and using a garden hose to add water.

(Rain will add a lot more water later.) This has the added advantage of giving you emergency water (non-drinking) if the main water supply gets knocked out by the hurricane.

Place wood blocks between the trailer's frame and springs to support the added weight.

On a boat with a stern drive, remove the drain plug so that the engine won't be damaged by flooding.

Secure the trailer to trees or with anchors or augers. Strip all loose gear, bimini tops, canvas covers, electronics, etc. and then lash the boat to the trailer.

And above all, it is considered extremely unwise--if not foolish--to plan to ride out a hurricane on your boat, whether in a marina or at anchor, regardless of the size of your boat. Whatever your situation, secure the boat as best you can, then clear out.