URRICANE PREPAREDNESS SURVEY
03 April 2004
Dear Fellow GPYC Marina Member,
This survey is sponsored by the GPYC Boaters Club. It is intended to collect lessons learned from Hurricane Isabel in order to develop conclusions, make recommendations and implement methods to minimize boat damage during hurricane season. Your participation is appreciated as this initiative can potentially benefit all slip renters and owners in the long term.
I. HURRICANE PREPARATIONS
1. What general method did you employ to prepare your boat to weather Hurricane Isabel: (ie remained in slip, hauled and trailered, hauled and cradled locally, hauled and cradled out of area, got underway and evaded, anchored, shifted slips to a larger vacant one, etc.) – Remained in slip, stripped boat of sails and running rigging.
2. What extraordinary measures did you use in implementing your method of choice (ie tripled my lines, anchored to a tree after cradling, etc) – Tripled lines.
II. HURRICANE AFTERMATH
1. Can you briefly describe the damage sustained by your boat or other consequences (wound up two miles inland in a marsh) directly as a result of Hurricane Isabel or indirectly as a result of the method you chose to prepare your boat for the hurricane. (ie hull stove in, rod rigging destroyed, electronics inop, engine flooded, total loss, etc.) None.
2. Understanding many of our boats are still in boat yards, please estimate your total boat damage related costs, whether or not covered by insurance, which resulted in any way from Hurricane Isabel. N/A
III. 2003 HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS SELF-ASSESSMENT
1. Do you feel your choice of hurricane preparedness method for Isabel was appropriate? Yes.
2. Whether or not you assess your chosen hurricane preparation method as appropriate, what could you have done differently to make your method more successful? My floating dock did suffer about $100.00 worth of damage and which could have been avoided if I had paid more attention to how my neighbor’s boat was tied up. I would have tied across to the opposite side of every other slip, giving each boat more room to rise on the high water.
3. In hindsight knowing how the hurricane played out, would you have chosen a different hurricane preparation method for Isabel? Probably not, but, if I had known how many boats would vacate, I would have moved behind the pier into an empty slip away from other boats..
IV. FUTURE HURRICANES
1. In considering future hurricanes with the inherent uncertainty regarding category level, wind direction and tidal surge level at arrival, would you consider choosing the same method, possibly employing improvements to that method as you discussed above, in 2004? I will definitely look to apply the method above….might even cross to Deep Creek (Menchville) or tie up at Leeward Marina in Newport News. (Both are much better protected from the North, North East.
2. Do you feel the Boaters Club common preparation for Isabel (extra lines in dock box, membership alertment and data exchange via email, assistance with boat handling on dock prior…) was appropriate? No..I think we should have helped less experienced people move boats and secure them.
3. What more would you like to see your Boaters Club do? Coordinate evacuations, help each other move and secure boats to better shelter. I was not comfortable with the advice to haul boats. My experience has always been that boats in the water fared better than boats on the hard, I know that goes against what Boat US and others were/are saying, but I wonder what the underlying statistics are, and how that bore out this time around.
V. CONCLUSION
1. The data you provided will be combined with other sources (NOAA, BoatUS, USCG, FEMA etc.) and analyzed in order to prepare a report to the Boaters Club membership and GPYC management. It will be posted on the Boaters Club web page for open distribution as well. It will contain recommendations on successful hurricane preparation methods with pros and cons for boaters and additional recommendations for management. The report will also be the first step in building the GPYC Boaters Club Disaster Preparedness Plan.
Do you have any final recommendations or comments you would like to see incorporated in this report?
I think there might be a fine line between trying to help and assuming responsibility. We can and probably should offer advice and assistance, but we probably should not make any major mandatory decisions regarading evacuation, moving boats, etc. Each skipper needs to make a decision, and we should try to help implement it.
2. (Optional, but very useful) Your Boat’s Name, make, type, displacement: Rebecca J, J27 3500 lbs.
Thank you for your time and interest. Thank you.
Ed Zurey
Vice Commodore
GPYC Boaters’ Club
357-9077
