With only a few exceptions due to health issues, Dave and I have always cruised during hurricane season. I’ve had quite a few questions about how we do it, so here are our answers. NOTE: I’m not trying to convince anyone to cruise in hurricane season, or even to say that our way is the “right” way. It’s simply how we do it.
As a bit of background, we do have some idea of what a hurricane is like. On our previous boat, we had one direct hit by a Category 1 Hurricane and were within 50 miles of the eye another four times (although two of those were tropical storms by the time they hit us). We were safely in hurricane holes for all. More recently, Barefoot Gal was hit by Category 4 Hurricane Irma, although we had evacuated after prepping her.
INSURANCE
Insurance has a lot to say about your plans for hurricane season. Our approach has been to decide what we want to do and then find insurance to fit.
- We have owned both our boats outright, so we have not had a lender specifying minimum insurance levels.
- It is possible to get hull coverage in hurricane zones (often referred to as “inside the box”) but usually it will cost more and/or have a higher deductible.
- Hull coverage may also impose certain restrictions (for example, in our first year in Mexico, when we had hull coverage, our policy specified that we had to be in one of several specific marinas for a named storm . . . when a storm did hit, getting to one of the marinas proved totally impractical and thus we were effectively uninsured).
Our Choice: We are basically self-insured, with liability insurance only. Our boats have been older and less expensive and, while we take a deep breath every year as we again decide to go without hull coverage, we’re comfortable with it. It puts even greater responsibility on us to make good decisions and prepare well.
In Mexico (Sea of Cortez), we never had to file a hurricane plan with the insurance company. We also did not have to with BoatUS liability coverage for the US only. But as we were going to the Bahamas this year, we had to change companies and all companies that offered liability-only policies for the Bahamas required a written hurricane plan.
2020 update: we’ve had hull coverage since 2017. BoatUS/Geico has not restricted our movements, but we pay to be in the Florida Keys.
WEATHER INFO
Weather info actually has three parts:
- Figuring out how you’ll get information
- Testing and making sure that the systems you’ve chosen work
- Daily monitoring
We do not rely on only one weather source or one way of acquiring weather info.
- Our previous boat had SSB and ham radio, and we got weather info on the nets as well as via email from the National Weather Service.
- We use the NWS Tropical Outlook to give a head’s up on what’s happening, and as things develop, the storm forecasts and discussions (the discussions are important to know how much confidence forecasters have in the track and intensity . . . when they say “low confidence” be very careful!)
- We now have a portable SSB receiver that we can listen to forecasts on, but we cannot use it to receive email forecasts. As the National Weather Service has significantly cut back its SSB transmissions, we listen to Chris Parker’s forecasts via SSB when we don’t have internet availability. We have the Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, purchased from Amazon and use two sets of rechargeable batteries in it.
- Internet sources: Chris Parker forecasts via email: WeatherUnderground maps; National Hurricane Center and several other sources.
- DeLorme inReach: in a pinch, we could get Chris Parker forecasts on the inReach (extra cost for him to send to it) and we have plans in place with a couple of friends for them to be our backup in setting things up with Chris and/or sending us updates from other sources if need be. Read more about the inReach here – it uses Iridium satellite coverage so we are never out of range and we have an unlimited texting package (individual messages are limited to 160 characters; longer messages simply get broken down into parts).
Both Chris Parker and the Tropical Outlooks give us an early warning of anything possibly brewing. Some things they discuss will never come to fruition, but we treat each possibility with respect. Yes, there will be cries of “wolf” that turn out to be only shadows. But that doesn’t mean that the next warning won’t develop into serious weather.
IMPORTANT: Since internet connectivity is an important part of our weather strategy, we do not rely on always finding wifi coverage. We use cell phone data when we’re in range of a cell tower – this gives us far greater coverage throughout the Bahamas although there are still dead zones. We read up on how to do get data on our cell phone before crossing to the Bahamas and got our SIM card ahead of time from Mr. Sim Card – their instructions were spot on and we had internet within five minutes of dropping anchor in the Bahamas.
We use our Android phone as a hotspot for our other devices. The Verizon “Mobile HotSpot” app won’t work with a BaTelCo SIM card, but the FoxFi app works well (we have the $7.95 paid version so we don’t have to reconnect every few minutes). I’m sure there are similar apps for iPhones. And we don’t skimp on our cell data. Admittedly, part of our usage is for The Boat Galley but we budget for 15 to 20 GB a month. Read more about internet in the Bahamas.
HOW WE CRUISE
We play it pretty conservatively with the weather. Admittedly, some would say we’re not conservative by the very fact that we’re out here . . . but we think we are.
First off, while insurance companies look at aggregate patterns, for individual boats it’s more of an all-or-nothing: either you encounter serious weather or you don’t. And there is pretty much nowhere on the East Coast of the US that’s risk free.
Finally, it is rare to have less than 3 or 4 days’ warning that a storm is headed towards us. There’s often more time to prepare. But even at three days, it gives us one day to move to a hurricane hole and then two days to prep the boat if needed. We have always found that there are long stretches with no storms even possibly threatening.
Guidelines for Moving in Hurricane Season
So here are our guidelines for moving about:
- We know where the nearest hurricane hole or protected marina (I lump these together as a “hurricane hole” in the rest of this discussion) is at all times and try to check it out ahead of any time we might need it.
- Have the route into the hurricane hole from an “approach waypoint” saved on the chartplotter so that if we decide we need to head in, we’re prepared (it’s much easier to plot a route when there’s no urgency).
- If the engine has problems or is going to be out of commission, we try to be close enough to a hurricane hole that we could enter using the dinghy motor if needed.
- In general, we stay within an easy day’s travel of a hurricane hole — at the most, two days or a 24-hour run. We generally don’t linger anywhere that we couldn’t get to a hurricane hole easily, particularly if it’s an area where we have spottier access to detailed weather information. The exception to this is our jump strategy, next.
Jumping to a New Area
For jumps from one hurricane hole area to another (our jumps tend to be from two to three days’ travel):
- Know where the next hurricane hole is, check charts to it and so on. Have a route into it on the chart plotter.
- We don’t jump when weather is possibly developing in the area – forecasts and tracks can change tremendously. The less certain the forecast, the more we stay put. By staying put, I don’t mean that we’re not moving at all, just not moving out of range of whatever hurricane hole is in the area. (We do miss windows this way, but it’s a lot less stress for us.) We still explore and have fun!
- We like to have consistency from one forecast to another – both as compared to the forecast 6 hours ago and from one source to another. They’re never going to be identical but we’ve learned not to trust any of them when they’re varying wildly. This is both for any possible storm forecasts and for wind and wave conditions along our intended route — hurricane season is also squall season and we’d prefer to avoid them too.
- We don’t leave when our observations of conditions near us are at odds with what was forecast (say, we’re seeing south winds at 15 and lots of convection when the forecast was east winds at 5 to 8 with clear skies). At such times, there’s obviously something going on that wasn’t forecast and which could impact how long it will take us to make the jump.
- A solid weather window that’s at least 24 hours longer than we think we need to be in the vicinity of the next hurricane hole (if we were doing longer hops we’d want more of a buffer).
Other Considerations
A few other considerations for us on the jumps:
- We’re more conservative as we are in a new cruising area where we don’t know the anchorages/marinas, weather patterns, forecasters, etc. When we were in the Sea of Cortez for six years, we weren’t quite as conservative the last year as in the first few!
- We’re older (Dave is 78; I’m 56). We don’t have deadlines or constraints. We can have fun wherever we are. And we don’t like getting beaten up en route due to our taking a “maybe” window. We’ve made plenty of rough trips in the past, we know we can handle snotty weather if we have to. We’d just prefer not to. This is supposed to be fun.
- We know that we won’t die if we get caught away from a protected anchorage in the outer bands of a system, but it’s not going to be fun. We’ve already checked that off our bucket list; no need to do it again.
- Barefoot Gal is still a relatively new boat to us. While we both have years of sailing, racing and general boating experience (63 for Dave; 44 for me), she’s still a new-to-us boat. She reacts differently than our one-design racing boats or our previous heavy monohull cruising boat. We don’t just instinctively make adjustments. Don’t get me wrong – she’s a great boat. But we’re a little more conservative as we learn her.
- While we prepped our previous boat numerous times for hurricanes and by the time we sold it knew exactly what we had to do and how to do it, we’ve only done it twice on Barefoot Gal – and both times were to put her in summer storage, with no time pressure or stress of a storm bearing down. We could prep our previous boat in one long day of work; we want two days now.
- We have a watermaker, composting head and carry a large supply of food. We top up with diesel fuel and gasoline whenever a jerry can is empty. In other words, we’re ready to move into a hurricane hole any time we need to, without a trip to “town” first.
We know that most people don’t actively cruise during hurricane season. We choose to but with an abundance of caution. And I know I’ll get comments both saying we’re crazy to be out here now . . . and that we don’t need to be as conservative as we are.
BOTTOM LINE
Bottom line: everyone has to decide what’s right for them. I’m not saying others should follow what we do, just trying to give an idea of what we do as a starting point for others to make their own decisions.
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Rick Garvin says
Great post, thanks Carolyn!
Terry Logan says
Hey guys,
Thanks so much for the time and thought you invest in this blog. As an aspiring Bahamas cruiser with plans to get there sometime next Spring, your posts are something I feel are invaluable.
One question: My boat is a power cruiser drawing 5-1/2′ and has a lot of windage. Considering the typically shallow waters and low land profile of the Bahamas, I assume appropriate hurricane holes for her will be far fewer than for other vessels. Do you know of a resource for locating, and possible reserving, space during the season?
Thanks again for your expertise and letting us live vicariously through your chronicles!
Terry
M/Y Sea Change
Carolyn Shearlock says
We found Steve Pavlidis guidebooks to have by far the best info on hurricane holes, and supplement it with Explorer chart books — they also have a lot of ads with web sites listed for marinas to get a feel for what’s there.
Tamera Buckley says
Fantastic !! I always appreciate all the great information in your posts…this is the best by far. Insurance is always a topic of conversation among cruisers, not a fun topic, but a necessary topic to consider. Thanks
Steve - The Sailing Rode says
Always love the great detail in your posts. Hopefully, we will have a quiet season and you can have all fun and little worries.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks Steve! I appreciate that.
Cookie Johnson says
Is there a website you can reference that lists hurricane holes?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I couldn’t find one for the Bahamas. Steve Pavlidis’ cruising guides do have quite a good list and that was our starting point. Explorer Charts sometimes mention in the general info about an area that a certain place is good to ride out a blow “or even a hurricane.”
Chris says
I can see nothing worth being critical in what youguys are doing. In fact you are likely to be less of a risk than many that simply tie their boat up and leave.
Christina Moulton says
Great post! And timely, we’re stuck sitting in the Abacos because we were a bit slow leaving the Caribbean. Now we’re waiting for some tropical “stuff” to pass before heading north.
For iPhone users, I have no trouble using my unlocked iPhone 5 with a Batelco SIM card as a hotspot. Just go to settings and turn on “Personal Hotspot”. As long as the phone’s unlocked it should work, though you might have to clear out some old settings (the lady at the Mayaguana BTC office did it for me last year). It also worked fine with Digicel in the BVIs and AT&T GoPhone in Puerto Rico & the USVI.
Molly Ebelhare says
This is a great article, Carolyn. We cruised Belize throughout the hurricane season long before there were good phone apps for weather forecasting. We had a great time and couldn’t figure why everyone was fleeing to the Rio Dulce in June. We basically had the country to ourselves. You simply must listen to NOAA over SSB every day – we still do even with Passage Weather, etc. – because they give information about weather systems that are brewing far away. You will usually have plenty of warning if a major storm is coming your way. As you said, you have to have somewhere to shelter chosen ahead of time.
Ron Madewell says
A great thought out article, thank you. Have you used intellicast? http://www.intellicast.com/. I have found it as a great reference point during hurricane season. Cheers
Carolyn Shearlock says
I have used it in the past. Nothing wrong with it, I’m just using other ones now.
Anna Espora says
Thank you for a great post. May I ask for some advice? We are currently in NC and will be free to leave end of May. We just do not know where to go! We have asked everyone, even professional weather routers, and everyone says differently. One router said go to (southern) Bahamas, then sail to Cuba in a day in case of a hurricane for a hurricane hole. Some say go to Cuba now and stay there till November. Others say we must go north, it is the only safe plan. Others say stay around Florida and then go inland when a hurricane comes.
Ideally we want to go south, far south, but getting there will take a long time and could be unsafe. We do not want to go offshore south – the whole idea is to see places, not just rush somewhere. We want to experience the Caribbean, not rush off to a hurricane hole! We are new to US/Caribbean sailing and are basically at a loss at what to do and where to go.
We have learnt so much from your blog in all other areas so far and we ar really hoping you have some advice on this too!
Sincerely,
Anna
From Barcelona, Spain
Carolyn Shearlock says
This is the BIG question for every boater from Grenada in the south to Nova Scotia in the north. There is no 100% safe solution. Anywhere can be hit by a storm. Insurance companies can look at overall averages, but for individual boaters, it’s more of an all-or-nothing experience: either you get hit by a storm or you don’t.
The first thing is to check with your insurance company and see if they have requirements for where you have to be for hurricane season.
I’ve never really heard Cuba discussed as a hurricane season option, but that could be because I’m American and we’re limited to 2-week stays. Still, Cuba has been known to be pounded by storms. The two “northern” hurricane holes that are often used are Luperon in the Dominican Republic and the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. Great Harbour Cay Marina in the Bahamas (Berries) survived a direct hit by Matthew in 2016 with very little damage to boats.
If you decide to go to Grenada, yes, you’d have to go fast as waves are starting to come off the Africa coast. I know several boats that are hurrying south now and planning to do a leisurely sail north next fall. The unknown with trying to make that many miles that quickly is whether there will be a problem with your boat that would require you to stop somewhere. If the boat is new to you, it’s riskier. If you’ve had it and done offshore passages in it and are comfortable with its condition, it’s less risky.
In the US, many boaters go up the Chesapeake where they can tuck way up into rivers in case of a hurricane. Others simply haul out and do other travel. We stay in the Florida Keys and are prepared to leave the boat and evacuate.
I’m sorry that I don’t have any perfect answer for you. It’s the question on everyone’s mind after last season’s terrible storms and the prediction that this year could be just as bad, if not worse. Unfortunately, we just don’t know where storms will or won’t track.
Anna says
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! Would you mind telling me where you would leave your boat in the Florida Keys in case of a hurricane? Would you just leave it in the water somewhere and hope for the best or would you haul it and tie it down somewhere?
Than you for your information!
Anna
Carolyn Shearlock says
We live aboard fulltime, basing ourselves in Boot Key Harbor (Marathon). We left her in the water on her mooring ball for Irma while we evacuated. We were very lucky and had no damage in Irma, although many boats here were total losses. You can also go into the mangrove canals or go about 50 miles north to Little Shark River. There are also yards where you can haul out, although most of them in the Keys are already full with people who made reservations over the summer. If you want to haul out (and can fit under the bridges, Glades Boat Yard and Indiantown Marina on the Okeechobee Waterway are both inland.
Molly on S/V Sabai says
My husband and I spent most of the hurricane season one year cruising in Belize. It was great. We had the country to ourselves. We monitored the weather very closely and were always prepared to bolt to the Rio Dulce if need be. The tropical waves marched through like clockwork so we usually had several days of rain every week but otherwise it was delightful. When we needed to stash the boat somewhere to go home to replenish the cruising fund, we went to the Rio which is very safe from hurricanes and a really beautiful, fun place.
Linda says
My husband and i are planning to sail to Boca Chica Key in the Florida Keys late this summer from Grenada, We are planning stops in Bonaire, Curacao, and Jamaica and then will continue to watch weather for the trip around Cuba. Have you taken this route and do you have any suggestions or insight for sailing around Cuba? Thanks! Weather permitting we want to be in the keys by November 1.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I have not done that route, but keep a sharp eye on the weather. It’s hurricane season!
Tom Watson says
Hey all,
A pal of mine wants to move a just purchased boat from St Augustine Florida to Belize before Sept. He hasn’t done any real sailing for decades and zero cruising, but he is adventurous and feels confident that we can do the trip safely in less than a few weeks. The boat seems solid, a 32-foot Catermaran, but we don’t know it.. Also, I grew up on lake boats, own a Catalina 30 on Lake Ontario, which I have sailed for 10 years, but I have no long haul cruising or ocean experience. Limited experience. Hurricane season. Unknown boat. Am I just paranoid or is my pal way over confident. Trip to me looks like 1200 nautical miles in storm season. Just can’t see doing it safely in less than a few weeks with currents against us. That said, my father died on a boat, so I know I am very conservative, and I actually usually trust my pal’s judgement. Just not sure he is thinking straight about this one. So I am looking for others to clear my head.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I would say that’s really iffy both for a new-to-him boat (more likely breakdowns) and in hurricane season. I wouldn’t do it. If you do, be sure to have excellent weather info — I recommend Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center.
Steve Payment says
Follow your gut. Don’t get pulled into someone else’s bad planning. Be a good friend and tell him to wait until after hurricane season. Invest in a good delivery captain and treat it as 1200 miles of offshore training school. We read stories every year of people and prepared making ng bad passage decisions and they end up getting rescued or never seen again. Don’t take the chance when a few months will make it a much better trip.
Molly on S/V Sabai says
Sounds like a bad plan, Tom, especially since, as Carolyn pointed out, this is a new boat for your friend. It may look like it’s a turn-key deal but I have no doubt some sort of unforeseen problem is lurking. Even on a boat you’ve lived on and maintained there is that potential but on one that may have been sitting for years waiting to be sold . . . ? We would hate for you to be stranded in a bad place at a bad time of year. That being said, Belize is a great place to be in hurricane season – lots of good hidey holes and proximity to the Rio Dulce. Why not take the boat down next winter or early spring when you don’t have to scurry for fear of hurricanes?
Tom Watson says
Thanks all for the sound advice. My 77 Catalina 30 (aka Busted Flush) on the Great Lakes is overflowing with spare parts and safely gear because I don’t enjoy leaving things to chance. So it would be just out of misguided loyalty to my pal to take on this trip at this time not knowing the boat or route. But I still really needed convincing, even after watching the marine rescue flick The Finest Hours dockside on raised foresail this past weekend. Then again, I might sail anywhere if my bilge pumps worked like they supposedly did on the coast guard boat in that movie. Cheers
Tom
Philip Demaria says
Just came across this older article and appreciate it a great deal as I plan on cruising through hurricane season and have been looking for a place to model strategy after.
I believe in an abundance of caution while still venturing out. I can add and alter to suit my needs and boat but am grateful for the starting point.
Thank you