November 15, 1991
Simi Valley, California, USA
In researching Tami Oldham and the Adrift true story, we discovered that the real-life events depicted in the 2018 movie spanned the months of September, October and November 1983. 23-year-old Tami Oldham and her British fiancé, Richard Sharp (34), had been pleasure sailing his 36-foot sailboat, the Mayaluga, for the previous six months. They made the decision to accept a job delivering a 44-foot yacht, the Hazana, from Tahiti to San Diego where it would be received by a new owner. They had been less than three weeks into their 4,000-mile trip when Hurricane Raymond hit. -Chicago Tribune Top: The real Tami Oldham and fiancé Richard Sharp prior to the trip. Bottom: Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin as Oldham and Sharp in the Adrift 2018 movie.
Yes. Tami and Richard knew a storm was coming, but they didn't know it would be that bad. They tried to outrun Hurricane Raymond by sailing north, battling 140 knot winds and 40-foot waves as they did their best to keep the yacht afloat. The relentless category 4 hurricane showed no signs of calming. It changed direction and stayed on their tail like a predator. -Mirror Online
No. In real life, as they continued to battle Hurricane Raymond on October 12, 1983, Richard Sharp sent his fiancée Tami below deck to rest. He used a safety line to tether himself to the yacht in an attempt to ride out the storm and keep the boat afloat. The yacht capsized and Tami hit her head when she was thrown against the cabin wall. The force of the blow knocked her out, and the last thing she can remember hearing was Sharp screaming, "Oh my God!" She didn't wake up for 27 hours, and when she did, she went above deck and discovered Richard's safety line hanging off the edge of the boat. Her fiancé was lost at sea. She would never see him again. -Chicago Tribune Tami Oldham remained unconscious for 27 hours after hitting her head when the boat capsized during the hurricane. The severe head injury is visible on Shailene Woodley's character in the 2018 movie. At first, the Adrift movie seems to unfold differently than the true story. Tami wakes up and finds an injured Richard floating in the water as he clings to a small overturned lifeboat that had fallen off the yacht. She gets him back to the yacht where she cares for his broken ribs and shattered leg as he reassures her that she can get them home, despite him describing himself as being "dead weight". However, paying close attention to the movie's trailer reveals a couple other clues to the likely reality of this situation. When Tami (Shailene Woodley) and Richard (Sam Claflin) are having dinner on his boat, he talks about the challenge of sailing and says that "you're either sleep deprived or seasick, and after a few days there's the hallucinations." This clue seems to foreshadow things to come. Coupled with Tami's bad head injury sustained during the storm, it's not hard to start wondering if Richard is merely a figment of Tami's imagination. Clues to this are also found in Tami's memoir Red Sky in Mourning . The Adrift movie's ending will undoubtedly reveal the answer. Tami's memoir , originally titled Red Sky in Mourning , provided the basis for the Adrift movie.
Yes. In her book Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea , she talks about hearing a voice, but not that of her lost-at-sea fiancé Richard Sharp. Instead, she described it as an "inner voice" that was audible to her externally three times. It's certainly possible that her head injury and blood loss caused her to believe that she was hearing such a voice. Others believe it was God speaking to her. "I needed guidance and the voice was a real phenomenon," says Tami. "Three times it was audible externally. I've asked the voice to come back, but I never heard from it again. ... The voice kept me on track. I just followed it." -Mirror Online
Yes. The Adrift movie true story reveals that nearly everything on the Hazana (pictured below) was broken and strewn about. The masts had snapped off, and like in the 2018 movie, the sails were waterlogged and floated nearby. The cabin was half-filled with water. The engine and radio were broken. The radio device used to indicate the boat's emergency position was down as well, and the electronic navigation system wasn't functional either. -Mirror Online Top: The real Hazana yacht in 1983 after the ordeal at sea. Bottom: Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin on the movie's version of the yacht. The biggest noticeable difference is the ladder placement.
Fact-checking the Adrift movie reveals that after Hurricane Raymond struck and claimed the life of her fiancé Richard Sharp, Tami Oldham remained stranded at sea on the damaged yacht for 41 days. -Mirror Online
In 2003, she told the Chicago Tribune that she ate canned food and peanut butter, consuming everything from fruit cocktail to sardines.
With the yacht's navigation system broken by the storm, Tami used a sextant to help her find her way home. A sextant is a navigational instrument that can be used to measure the angle of the sun (or another astronomical object) above the horizon. "It saved my life," says Tami. She was then able to work out her latitude using nautical maps. To remember what got her home, Tami wears a triangular-shaped sextant pendant encrusted with a diamond. The only navigational instrument that wasn't broken during the hurricane was a sextant, which measures the angle of the sun (or other astronomical object) above the horizon. It saved her life. Being able to successfully navigate was only part of the challenge; she also needed to keep the yacht afloat and get it moving. She fashioned a pump to prevent the cabin down below from flooding and created a makeshift sail from a broken spinnaker pole and spare storm jib. She eventually managed to get the boat into a position where she could use currents that would hopefully take her to Hawaii. -Mirror Online
No. In the film, we see her using sutures to self-stitch the wound shut. "There were sutures on board," Tami wrote in her book, "but I couldn’t bring myself to sew my head shut." Instead, she drew the long wound together and adhered several large butterfly bandages as pus and blood oozed out.
Yes. Weak, starving, injured, and let down after mistakenly thinking she saw an island on the horizon, at one point during her journey Tami loaded a rifle that was on board and stuck it in her mouth. The internal voice she heard during her journey convinced her to stop. This intense moment is not depicted in the film. While exploring the Tami Oldham true story, we learned that it wasn't the only time her despair had led her to thoughts of suicide. -Mirror Online Tami dealt with years of grief by eventually writing her story down and penning the book Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea . She is pictured on the left more than a decade after the tragedy.
Tami navigated approximately 1,500 miles over a span of 41 days before reaching Hilo, Hawaii. As she approached the harbor, she saw a large ship on its way out. She shot off several flares before the 200+ foot vessel flashed its running lights and altered course. The ship pulled up alongside the Hazana. The crew lowered down coffee and someone tossed her an apple. They towed her inside the reef and a Coast Guard Auxiliary towed her the rest of the way. Similar to the Adrift movie's ending, as she pulled into the Big Island's Hilo Harbor, she cried tears of joy. -Mirror Online The Adrift movie ends similar to the real-life story.
Yes. When the boat capsized, she struck her head so hard that she couldn't read a book for the next six years. The words leapt off the page as she tried to focus on them. -Mirror Online
Yes. The tragedy she endured didn't stop her from continuing to enjoy sailing. She got right back into it. "I just love it," Tami told the Chicago Tribune . "I'm passionate about it. I kind of parallel [the hurricane] to being in a car accident. You get back in the car or, like they say, back on the horse." She went on to become a "100-ton licensed captain with more than 50,000 offshore miles" to her credit. Tami did struggle with grief and nightmares, and she spent the first eight years after the accident unable to heal. When she was able to read again, she began to deal with some of her feelings by writing her story down, eventually penning the book Red Sky in Mourning , which inspired the movie. She self-published the book in 1998, and it was later picked up by Hyperion Press and published widely in 2002. Tami says that she never went to counseling but wishes someone would have suggested it. "I definitely had some severe post-traumatic stress syndrome," she stated. "I really wish I had taken the time to do that." -Chicago Tribune Despite the tragedy, Tami never stopped sailing and became a 100-ton licensed captain. She is pictured here prior to the Adrift movie's 2018 release.
Yes. Ten years after losing fiancé Richard Sharp at sea and surviving the ordeal, Tami met a blue-eyed man at a dance. They married in 1994, had two children, and live on San Juan Island, Washington. Tragically, their 22-year-old daughter, Kelli Ashcraft, was taken from them in 2017 as the result of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dive deeper into the Adrift true story by watching the Tami Oldham Ashcraft movie interview below.
Tami Oldham "Adrift" Interview |
Adrift Movie Trailer |
At least 40 people have died after the boat they were traveling in caught fire off the coast of Haiti earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration reported on Friday. Matias Delacroix/AP/File via CNN Newsource
At least 40 people have died after the boat they were traveling in caught fire off the coast of Haiti earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Friday, citing local authorities.
The vessel left Haiti on Wednesday carrying over 80 migrants, and was headed to Turks and Caicos, the IOM said. Forty-one survivors were rescued by Haiti’s Coast Guard, it also said.
In a statement, Grégoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief of mission in the country, blamed the tragedy on Haiti’s spiraling security crisis and the lack of “safe and legal pathways for migration.”
“Haiti’s socio-economic situation is in agony. The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more,” he said.
Haiti is grappling with gang violence, a collapsing health system, and a lack of access to essential supplies, leading many Haitians to embark on dangerous journeys out of the country.
The Caribbean nation’s crisis escalated earlier this year when gang warfare exploded, forcing the resignation of the then-government. The number of migration attempts by boat from Haiti have risen since then, according to IOM data.
But chaos in the country has not stopped neighboring governments from repatriating Haitian migrants by the tens of thousands.
“More than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighboring countries this year. In March, despite a surge in violence and the closure of airports throughout the country, forced returns increased by 46 per cent, reaching 13,000 forced returns in March alone,” the agency said in its statement.
In recent weeks, the appointment of new Prime Minister Garry Conille and the arrival of several hundred foreign forces to bolster Haiti’s National Police have offered new hope for addressing the crisis. The United Nations Security Council-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, led by Kenya, is now beginning operations in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
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Settlers, members of Israel's religious right and conservative Christians are working to convince Donald Trump and the Republican Party to drop longstanding U.S. support for a Palestinian state.
Hurricane Gloria was a most impolite lady. She barreled up the Atlantic coast, scaring the heck out of people from Florida to Massachusetts. Despite the fact that the storm didn’t live up to its billing, hundreds of boats in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts were destroyed or severely damaged. In some cases, the boats were lost through no fault of the owner. No amount of preparation will save your boat if another boat drags down on it in the middle of a hurricane.
In other cases, however, lack of proper preparation was a major cause of a damaged boat. There’s no excuse for that type of loss.
Despite the fact that modern forecasting methods are far from perfect, a large storm such as Gloria almost always is tracked with enough precision to let you know if you’re potentially in the path of destruction. With a day or more of warning, you have plenty of time to take the precautions necessary to give your boat the best chance to survive a major storm.
When the load exerted on a boat’s ground tackle-whether a mooring or her own anchors-exceeds the holding power of the ground tackle, the boat will drag. One of the primary contributors to that load is the windage of the boat.
If your boat hung perfectly head to wind, the windage loading would be fairly small, consisting of the frontal area of the hull, deck structures, spars, and rigging in the case of a sailboat, and the hull, deck structures, bridge, and antennas of a powerboat. Unfortunately, few boats lie perfectly head to wind through a storm. Instead, they yaw about from side to side. As the boat sails around on her anchors or mooring, the total area presented to the wind, and hence the total loading on the ground tackle, varies dramatically. The area presented by any boat broadside to the wind is several times that presented by the same boat when it is perfectly head to wind. Since the change in wind loading is a function of the square of the wind velocity, the strain on your ground tackle increases geometrically as the boat yaws around. Reducing windage will help reduce the total loading, and hence help your boat stay put.
You can substantially reduce the windage of any boat with only a few hours of work. First, remove Bimini tops, cockpit dodgers, spray curtains around cockpits, and awnings. Those are pretty obvious. The rest may not be.
Sails should be removed, particularly roller furling headsails. You don’t just have to worry about the windage of the rolled-up sails, you have to worry about what will happen when the sail unfurls. And we practically guarantee it will, no matter how well tied it may be. Mainsails should be removed for the same reason. If the sail is so big that you can’t handle it yourself, and you have no one to help, add extra sail ties, and thoroughly and tightly lash down the sail cover. The normal securing system of the sail cover, and the normal amount of sail ties used, is not adequate to hold the sail in place during a major storm. If the sail gets loose, it will at least flog itself to death. At worst, it will add enough windage to make your boat drag its ground tackle.
Take off man overboard gear, cockpit cushions, cowl vents, antennas, and halyards, if the halyards can be rerove easily. Internal halyards can be run to the masthead, leaving a single halyard led to deck to allow you to retrieve the others after the storm. No matter how well you tie them off, halyards will flog hell out of your spars, in addition to being more windage. Likewise, masthead instrumentation may simply blow away, particularly your anemometer cups.
Get it Off the Boat
It’s a good idea to take everything that isn’t bolted down off the boat entirely. If a boat does go ashore, it’s a sad but true fact that vandals may make short work of her. Electronics, clocks, barometers, books, navigation gear may all vanish. If you value it, take if off the boat. Chances are that no insurance policy will cover you completely enough to make up for the loss of valuable gear.
Know Your Ground Tackle
Is your mooring really a 1000 pound mushroom with 3/4 ” chain? It may be worth hiring a diver to find out, preferably before a storm threatens. Likewise, all shackles, chains, and mooring pennants should be examined at least once a season to make sure they are in good shape. If the condition of any component of the system is questionable, replace it. If your insurance adjuster sees a corroded through piece of chain or a mooring pennant that is badly worn, he may well be reluctant to approve your claim in case of loss.
In crowded harbors, permanent moorings may lack adequate scope to deal with the high tides associated with storm conditions. It may be possible to increase scope for a storm by replacing or lengthening the mooring pennant. Just as with an anchor, the holding power of a permanent mooring is increased by additional scope.
Some moorings are equipped with large, inflatable surface buoys. The positive flotation of these buoys may reduce the holding power of the mooring in extreme high tides, so it may be worth removing the buoy before a storm; just don’t forget to replace it before casting off the mooring pennant after the storm is over.
At the Dock
As a rule, boats tied to docks are at greater risk than boats kept at moorings or on anchors. Floating docks are rarely strong enough to take the loads exerted on them by boats in storm conditions. In addition, if the tides are extremely high, floating docks may simply float off the pilings which hold them in place.
A boat kept at a dock can’t weathercock (face into the wind) as storm winds change direction. Therefore, the boat at a dock almost always presents more windage than a boat secured to moorings or anchors that is free to swing head to wind.
If your boat must be kept at a dock in a storm, secure the lines to the pilings, rather than to the floating docks. It is best to tie the lines high on the pilings, so they will not be chafed if the docks ride up on the pilings. Instead of using loose bowlines around the pilings, use multiple clove hitches, or a clove hitch finished with two half hitches. That way, the lines will tighten on the pilings, and are unlikely to pull off even if the pilings go under.
Anchored Out
If you have good ground tackle and a good mooring won’t have to worry about crashing into docks, or docks crashing into you. What you will have to worry about is other boats with less adequate ground tackle dragging down on you, either damaging your boat or straining your own ground tackle so much that your boat drags.
The first rule of thumb when anchored or moored during a severe storm is to get out as much ground tackle as possible. You may have a good permanent mooring, but if you back it up with your own anchors, you’re going to have an even better chance of survival.
Usually, it is possible to forecast the likely direction of the strongest winds, even with a hurricane whose exact path is unknown. A good rule of thumb is to deploy your heaviest anchor in the expected direction of the strongest winds, and your second anchor 180 ’ from that. You may want to put your primary anchor upwind of, and at a 45 ’ angle to, the mooring, so there will be less likelihood of chafe between your anchor rode and your mooring chain.
When putting out your anchors, get them as far from the boat as your rodes will allow, leaving yourself perhaps 25 ‘ of line on deck to make adjustments after the anchors are down. The more scope you have out on the anchors, the better they will hold. All anchors hold best when the pull on them is perfectly horizontal. You may increase the holding power of an anchor by 25 % by increasing the scope from 5:1 to 1O:1.
Remember that your biggest anchor does not necessarily have the most holding power in a particular bottom. If you’re anchored in soft mud, a Danforth will have much more holding power than a kedge anchor of the same weight.
Line chafe has probably caused the loss of more boats than any other single factor. Whether you’re moored out or at the dock, your lines must be protected from chafe.
No matter how well polished your bow chocks are, they’re still metal, and are harder than your lines. In a storm lasting several hours, even the smoothest metal fittings will start to wear away your lines. Chafing gear can be made from almost any sacrificial material. Canvas and leather are the traditional materials used, but “sticky dacron” sail repair cloth or even old towelling or T-shirts will do. Old denim blue jeans cut in strips make exceptionally good chafing gear.
Chafing gear won’t do any good if it won’t stay in place. The best chafing gear is undoubtedly leather sewn over the lines, but if you’re preparing for a storm, it’s too late to be elegant. Duct tape-plenty of it-will do in a pinch.
You can also tie the chafing gear on with light nylon, but it, too will chafe.
Chafing gear should cover more of the line than you think will come into contact with a chafing hazard, to allow for fine tuning the lines, to compensate for stretch, and to make up for the fact that the chafing gear may slip under load. In addition, if you are aboard your boat during a storm, you may want to ease out a foot of line now and then to shift the location of chafe slightly.
Whenever possible, key dock lines should be doubled. If one fails, you want a backup. The only danger here is that the deck can quickly become a rat’s nest. In addition, those elegant little cleats may suddenly be too small to take two 3/4” dock lines. It is absolutely impossible for a boat to have cleats that are too large, just as it’s impossible to have anchors that are too big. All it takes is one storm to convince you of that.
Whenever possible, lead heavily loaded lines to winches before belaying them on cleats. Winches are likely to have more fastenings, distributing their load over a larger area of deck. Distributing the loads between a winch and a cleat can be a tricky business. Normally, when using a winch you take three turns around it, so that almost all the load is carried by the winch. Using only one or two turns on the winch allows more load to be carried by the cleat.
Don’t carry a lot of heavily loaded lines to a single cleat. That’s like putting all your eggs in one basket. If the cleat goes, the boat goes. This is when multiple cleats on the bow pay off. You can lead each anchor or mooring line to a separate cleat, not only making it easier to adjust individual lines, but distributing loads better.
Through bolted cleats are designed to be loaded in sheer; that is, with the load parallel to the cleat and perpendicular to the fastenings. When the load becomes a tension load-vertical to the fastenings-you’re headed for trouble. Watch the leads of lines carefully to load hardware properly. Sometimes, a strong snatch block can be used to deflect loading to a better angle, or to reduce chafe. For storm-induced loads, don’t use a block to change a lead more than about 45 ‘. You’re likely to induce loads on the block or its point of attachment that it just can’t handle.
Lines may well pop out of open bow chocks as the boat pitches. It may be possible to lash lines into chocks by passing a light line under the bow or to adjacent hardware. Closed chocks work better, but once again you have to watch the direction of loading. Closed chocks are designed to be loaded downward, not upward. If you put a tension load on the chock’s fastenings, they may pull out of the deck.
Obviously, the strength of your deck hardware is extremely important, and the time to check it out is before there is a danger of storms. Proper backing plates, proper bolts, and strength of the deck and the fitting itself are critical. Winter is a good time to crawl around under the deck to check these things out. You’ll sleep a lot easier knowing just how hardware is attached.
Hauling Out
Usually, boatyards are overwhelmed with frantic calls from owners to haul their boats before a hurricane. Hauling may or may not be a good idea. Hauling a boat and leaving the mast in is an invitation to disaster. Hauling at a yard that is only a few feet above water level also may gain little. Putting the boat inside a shed that may blow down also gets you nothing.
By all means, if your boat is trailerable, get it out of the water. Tow it to high ground, but don’t park it under a tree!
On or Off the Boat?
If your boat is on an anchor or mooring, you may increase its chances of survival by staying on the boat. You may be able to fend off a boat dragging down, adjust a critical line, take the load off the ground tackle by running the engine. You also increase your chances of getting killed or injured. Boats are replaceable; people are not.
There is no easy answer to this one. Few things are more heartbreaking than watching another boat chafe through your anchor lines while you’re helpless on the shore. Few things are more terrifying than being aboard a boat that is dragging down to destruction on a granite seawall that towers over your head.
Should You Move Your Boat?
One of the most basic questions is whether your boat should be moved to another harbor. Most regions have protected anchorages known as hurricane holes. The only problem is that usually these are known to everyone, and may become so crowded when a major storm threatens that they become more dangerous than a more exposed anchorage.
Moving to a hurricane hole early is no guarantee of safety. You may get the best spot, but there’s no way to keep someone from anchoring right on top of you. If you think all boat owners are a generous and gentlemanly bunch, you haven’t seen them in time of stress when their boats are endangered.
You must realistically assess your chances for survival wherever you are. If strong southerlies are forecast in a harbor whose north end is a stone wall, you’d better think about moving elsewhere, or at least moving as close under the weather shore as is practical. Don’t forget to allow for changes in wind direction, however.
The wind itself is usually less of a problem than high tides and waves which reduce scope and increase chafe as the boat surges. If you’re behind a seawall which is only 5 ‘ above mean high water, a storm which comes at high tide is likely to submerge the breakwater, exposing you to the full force of wind and waves.
Use common sense. Try to imagine what will happen to docks, pilings, seawalls, and the other boats around you. What happens when the wind shifts? What if the docks come loose? Don’t move your boat until you have a coherent plan, and only if you can say with confidence that the place you have chosen is better than the place you are. An exposed location with a bottom that has good holding characteristics may be better than a protected location with lousy holding, if you have adequate ground tackle.
If you’ve done all you can to secure the boat-reducing windage, removing valuable gear, putting out extra lines, chafing gear, anchors-then you have done all that is reasonable to ask to prepare your boat to meet a storm in port. Get off the boat with a clear conscience, but try to stay as close as possible during the storm, as long as you don’t risk your life. If your boat does come ashore, you may be able to reduce damage or prevent vandalism if you’re close at hand. We have no sympathy for those who call the boatyard a few days after a storm to find out if their boat has survived.
One last thing to do is to take pictures of your preparations. If your insurance company questions the loss of your boat, it helps to have pictures of how you’ve prepared her. It may also help to prove a loss.
Mentally preparing for a storm in port is a lot like thinking about your emergency equipment. It may be unpleasant to think you’ll ever need it, but if you do, it’s nice to be familiar with how it works and what it can do. Careful preparation of your boat won’t guarantee its survival, but it will give it a far better chance.
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Video by petty officer 2nd class tara molle picture story 2017"> news photo (army and ngb only) 2016"> training documentation 2016"> , u.s. coast guard district 14 hawaii pacific.
The Coast Guard is coordinating the rescue of 42-foot sailboat Walkabout caught in Hurricane Julio 414 miles northeast of Oahu, Aug. 10, 2014. Walkabout is disabled and taking on water with three people aboard. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy video)
Date Taken: | 08.10.2014 |
Date Posted: | 08.11.2014 18:30 |
Category: | B-Roll |
Video ID: | 354790 |
VIRIN: | 140811-G-XD768-001 |
Filename: | DOD_101874703 |
Length: | 00:02:27 |
Location: | HAWAII, US |
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Are you about to set sail but you check the forecast and learn that your boat is in the path of an impending hurricane? So, what exactly do you have to do? Slack the lines, and seek for a hurricane hole where you can ride out the storm? On the other hand, if you don’t have time, you may have no choice but to tow the boat. Or perhaps you believe you’re safe on the dock and your only option is to double the dock lines and pray for the best. All sailors must be able to properly prepare for a storm, but what is the best technique? In this article, I’m going to analyze this subject as well as answer if a sailboat can survive during a hurricane. So, keep reading!
A hurricane, sometimes known as a cyclone or typhoon, is a tropical rotating storm in the North Atlantic Ocean. They also occur in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher. Hurricanes only form over warm tropical oceans, usually above 27°C (81°F). You might also wonder when hurricanes strike. Hurricanes are known to strike the Northern Hemisphere during the months of June and November. Hurricanes, on the other hand, are more common in the Southern Hemisphere between December and May. The ‘hurricane season’ for a certain region is defined as the time of year when hurricanes strike that area.
Strong winds spiral inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. And, they can be up to 600 miles across. Each hurricane lasts about a week and travels at 10 to 20 miles per hour over open water. Hurricanes gain energy and heat by interacting with warm ocean waters. The evaporation of seawater boosts hurricanes’ strength. In the Northern Hemisphere, hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise around an “eye,” while in the Southern Hemisphere, they rotate clockwise. The calmest area of the storm is the center, or “eye.” There are only low winds and pleasant weather in the center. Heavy rain, strong winds, and enormous waves can cause damage to buildings, trees, and automobiles when they arrive on land.
Hurricanes only form over extremely warm ocean water, at 80 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The atmosphere (air) must cool down quickly as you go higher. In order to force air upward from the water surface, the wind must also be blowing in the same direction and at the same speed. Above the storm, winds blow outward, allowing the air below to rise. Hurricanes are most common between the latitudes of 5 and 15 degrees north and south of the equator. The Coriolis Force creates the spin in a cyclone, but it is too weak near the equator to create storms.
Although hurricanes and cyclones occur all around the world, some locations are more vulnerable than others. When a hurricane strikes the North Atlantic, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the Caribbean Sea, are likely to be affected as well. Hawaii and the western coast of Mexico will be affected if it occurs in the Eastern Pacific. Typhoons that form in the western Pacific are more likely to strike Japan, China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Cyclones from the Indian Ocean regularly hit Southeast Asian countries, including the Indian subcontinent. Tropical cyclones in the southern Indian Ocean might hit Madagascar and countries along Africa’s east coast in the Southern Hemisphere. Cyclones that originate in the southeastern Indian Ocean are more likely to hit Australia’s northern coast.
Actually, if you receive a hurricane warning, you usually only have 72 hours to prepare. As a result, having a plan in place before a hurricane strike is crucial. One of the greatest solutions is to find a hurricane hole away from the storm. But, this requires planning and the capacity to jump on your boat and relocate it. And any time you decide to get in the water, you must rely on every boat upwind of you to stay put. And, this can be risky. You must be quite cautious about where you choose to be. And, if the wind direction does not match the forecast, you may find many boats upwind of you that you did not expect to see.
The truth is that you are completely reliant on others. While taking your boat to a hurricane hole to ride out the storm is an option for some, there are two major considerations. Firstly, you must have enough time to move your boat and place your anchors before the storm hits. And, you must trust the other boaters who are holed up with you. If these issues are a problem, you may need to consider other solutions. Hauling the boat is one apparent option. Having the boat out of the water significantly improves your chances of survival. If something goes wrong when the boat is on the hard, the damage is most likely repairable.
When a boat is damaged in the water, it usually sinks. Again, this will require planning and time. But, carrying your boat is usually easier than heading to a storm hole. Also, most boatyards will be able to help you if you get in line early enough. However, being hauled out does not guarantee your safety. You must still prepare the boat for the approaching storm. You should remove all canvas, sails, bimini tops, and other accessories, as well as everything else off the deck, and make sure the boat is watertight.
>>Also Read: Why Do Boat Insurance Companies Require Hurricane Plans?
In an ideal situation, you should relocate your boat and sail away from the hurricane. Keep in mind that the hurricane’s center has winds of 200 mph or more. Also, note that the wind increases less the further you sail from the hurricane’s center. So, if you sail 50 to 100 miles away, you’ll be in a safer location.
One thing about storms is that you know what is their direction at least a week ahead of time, so you’ll have plenty of time to get out before the hurricane arrives. This ensures that both you and your boat are safe and secure. During severe storms, the second option is to seek shelter in a hurricane hole. Hurricane holes are bays and harbors, or deep, narrow coves or inlets covered by trees. They provide the finest spots to tie off your anchor lines and prevent the wind and waves. The finest hurricane holes are uncrowded areas that are far enough inland. They’re able to avoid wind and surges while still being close enough to be easily reached from the land. Hurricane holes exist in places like Guatemala, the Caribbean, Cuba, and Haiti. It’s of great importance to locate a protected hurricane hole in the area where you will be sailing ahead of time.
The anchors and anchor rodes are subjected to severe forces during strong storms and hurricanes. So, you have to choose a reliable anchor. Helix Anchors are one of the best on the market, according to BoatUS, since they screw into the water surface. Note that Helix Anchors are far more powerful than Mushroom or other forms of anchors. They can hold between 12,000 and 20,000 pounds of weight that cannot be wrenched free. To have sufficient protection from the hurricane’s enormous wind surges, it’s critical to employ several anchors. You can also use Setting Tandem Anchors or anchors in several directions. If you have two large anchors, space them about 90 degrees apart in the direction of the expected wind.
Whether your boat is at anchor, moored, docked, or even hauled out, decreasing windage is critical. This is because it reduces stress on the boat and its attachment points. Even when the boat is at anchor or moored, it virtually never rests precisely head to wind. You can almost always be sure it won’t be facing directly into the wind if you’re at a dock, tied to mangroves, or in a boatyard. Note that the narrower the boat’s profile, the less surface area for the wind to hit it. Overall, the rig is less stressed, and the boat heels less. This will also reduce chafing on lines, and lower the load on the anchor, mooring, dock, or whatever else the boat is linked to. Keep in mind that you have to remove canvas, dodgers and biminis, dinghy, and the genoa as well. Remove and stow the mainsails as well.
Always stay informed on hurricanes and heavy storms wherever you sail. Use resources like Boatus.com and Global Weather Tracker to acquire the most up-to-date information on hurricanes. If you intend to haul or relocate your boat, make sure to notify your marina operator ahead of time. It is common knowledge that boats kept on land are far safer than those kept in the sea. In addition, it is important to understand the insurance policy as well as the marina contracts. For example, prior to a storm or hurricane, it is usual for insurance companies to reimburse up to 50% of the cost of carrying or transferring your vessel.
If your boat must be in the water, you have to relocate it to a hurricane hole or other location with the least amount of storm damage. Canals are ideal hiding spots since they allow you to tighten lines on both sides of the boat, preventing it from moving and wobbling. When a storm or hurricane looms, you have to take the necessary precautions ahead of time. Plan ahead of time and think of where your vessel will best survive the storm. Prepare a hurricane hole where you may dock your boat throughout the storm. You can minimize the risk of damage by picking the most storm-safe position well before the forecast predicts the hurricane, according to insurance claim files.
Bear in mind that the captain’s seamanship is the most important factor. In other words, if he or she is far from land or other hazards and knows how to steer the boat through the hurricane or storm. A large and seaworthy sailboat that is mostly for cruising rather than racing is also much better to have.
If you’re going to stay on a dock, you’ll want to go to a marina with large pilings. Nowadays, and especially in vulnerable hurricane areas, many marinas are working to raise piling heights. The boats are better placed where they can be contained in the marina, as compared to those on the hard who can be hoisted up and swept away by the surge. Many marinas and boatyards are implementing a new approach that is a variation of the classic method. This method refers to hauling out and tying down the boat using construction-style tow straps tied to firm points on the ground. This keeps the boats in their jack stands regardless of how high the storm surge reaches.
Many marinas now have hardpoints to which straps can be fastened. This secures down the boats when they’re on the hard. And the standard has been that boats are either stored in storm-resistant storage structures or are tied down. If the boats don’t lift off the jack stands then the water level isn’t high enough to flood the boats. For sailors hauling out their boats, this combination of hauling the boat, sealing it tight, and tying it down appears to be the best solution.
Finding a hurricane hole is one possibility, but you’ll need the time to do so and be continuously mindful of other vessels around and their capacity to hold their ground. You can keep your boat lashed to the dock at the marina, but if the storm surge becomes too high, your boat may float away. You can tow the boat, but you must ensure that it’s well-secured so that the rain doesn’t flood it. Bear in mind that you must contend with the potential of a storm surge sweeping your boat away.
Again, sailors must be aware of everything. In other words, ensuring that everything is watertight, clearing everything off the deck, and stripping all canvas. When you do that leave the boat on the hard tied down to several hardpoints and physically anchor it to the pavement. This will keep it secure and give you the best chance of making it through the storm.
Keep in mind that you are on your own during the hurricane. There is no one to assist you, and you will be unable to assist others. Of course, you have your crew but still, everyone has to take care of themselves before assisting others. Because the status of the boat and the storm might alter in just a second, make sure you have everything you need on hand and ready.
Note that you should wear appropriate gear. During the hurricane, it will be damp, rainy, and possibly cold. Wetsuits, waterproof shoes, or boots are a must during a storm. If you’re on the deck, make sure you’re wearing a life jacket and harness. Using your snorkel masks is quite practical because it is much easier to keep watch and breathe during a severe storm.
Don’t omit to check your anchor lines and chafe gear for safety on a regular basis. Make sure they’re in good working order and don’t have damages. High waves and rain will fill your boat with water, so keep in mind that you might need to use the bilge pump occasionally. Keep an eye on the deck as well as the radar or GPS during the storm. Lastly, consider if you’re dragging or whether another boat is dragging towards you.
Bear in mind that it is not just the sailor who must adapt to a hurricane, but also the infrastructure for protection that has to improve. And it’s a problem that we’ll almost certainly see more of in the future. Based on rising sea levels and storm concentration, we’re fairly confident that surges will become a more essential feature of storms. Moreover, if global warming continues at its current rate, sea levels and storm strength will grow, making this a bigger problem.
When hauling your boat and preparing for a hurricane, there are a few things you should do. Firstly, remove everything on your canvas, including sails, coverings, biminis, and seat cushions. Make sure your boat is completely watertight by closing all hatches and sealing any leaks. There is going to be a lot of rain, so you must be well-prepared. If possible, use tow-straps to secure the boat to hardpoints on the ground. Furthermore, turn off all of your boat’s electronics and disconnect the batteries. In case your boat fills up with water, you’ll want to do everything you can to avoid damages to the electronics. If you have a propane burner, turn it off and disconnect and remove the tank. And, this applies to any additional oil cans, gas cans, or other combustible items from the boat.
I hope that this article has answered your questions and provided all the adequate information you need to know about hurricanes. I wish you all safe & pleasant voyages!
Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.
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WEATHER ALERT
At least 3 dead in haiti after boat catches fire during escape attempt.
Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE – Officials in Haiti say at least three people have died and up to 40 remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A Haitian government official said Friday that at least 31 people had been rescued by the coast guard.
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The dead included the captain of the boat.
The fire likely started when two drums of gasoline ignited.
The incident comes as rampant violence continues in Haiti to take hold of the capital and beyond amid political turmoil.
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Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
What sailboats are the most seaworthy? Boats that can withstand 30+ foot ocean waves?
Does "full blown" mean Category1? Or Category5? Read "Fastnet, Force 10" to get some idea how boats do at sea.
The Westsail 32 in the book/movie The Perfect Storm survived. But, survival also depends on how well the boat was maintained. That same Westsail in poor condition may have had a different ending.
A 30 foot wave at sea and and a thirty foot wave on your local beach are not the same thing. A thirty foot wave at sea only occasionally breaks and when it does, only a portion of it becomes white water. Don't get me wrong, the energy in that portion is still formidable and can do damage but it isn't like the breaking wave that hits land. Mostly you sail over thirty foot waves at sea without incident. Another thing to consider is surfing. In my opinion allowing you boat to surf swells of 30 feet is playing Russian Roulette - eventually one will kill you. I won't elaborate here. We sailed through a storm with 80kn and 30+ feet. We got knocked down twice by breaking waves as described above but we safely "sailed" over hundreds more. We sustained more damage from the wind than from the sea. We have a 44ft GRP sloop. Was that a "full blown hurricane"? No because it only lasted two days. But in terms of wind speed and wave size, yes it probably equaled a Cat 1. Would you survive a Cat 5? I don't think so.
I presume you are looking for a neat list. Do you want that in alphabetical order or by LOA? Color?
Big ships often fair worse than a small sailboat in extreme conditions. Whereas a large ship may span a few waves and beak her back, a strong, small sailboat would be much like a cork, if watertight. I have survived 2 hurricanes at sea in sailboats. The first was just west of Fiji, probably a high cat 1, but it was before satellites so it may not be a "full blown" storm in your mind. We were capsized 3 times and sustained a lot of damage, but she got us back to a safe anchorage, so I guess she was a pretty good boat, considering she was 65 when she went through it. The second storm was in the western Indian ocean and because we were beating, we escaped the full force of the storm, but it was still 45 to 60 knots for 10 very difficult days as the darn thing chased us across the ocean. That boat was Brown 37' trimaran, which handled quite a few "heavy weather" experiences very well, including 1200 miles up the Red Sea in northerlies. Once again, it would very much depend on the choices made by and the experience of the captain (certainly NOT the case in the hurricane (cyclone if you prefer) off Fiji, as I made some very bad choices, but as they say, "hindsight is 20/20"); good choices increase the survivability in any situation, especially at sea, in heavy weather.
In general, and your sea miles may vary: NO sailboat is guaranteed to survive a hurricane. There are no guarantees at sea, except that the sea has a good chance of finding its way through weaknesses in either boat or crew. Any small boat skipper who intentionally challenges a hurricane would seem likely to be either a fool, harboring a death wish, under terrible pressure, seriously unlucky, or extraordinarily delusionally over-confident. Theoretically, a boat could be designed for having a maximum probability of surviving hurricanes, but it might have to be so over-built that it would be a pig in normal conditions. (glossing over some discussion of Westsails and such like) There are boats built to sail in heavy conditions, and one could do a lot with flotation, water tight compartments, over-built rigs, high-strength impact-resistant hulls, more-or-less bulletproof steering systems, control lines led to sheltered locations, etc. If one were wealthy. But, a thirty-foot breaking wave can simply overpower most smaller craft, depending on how it catches a boat and how well the crew is able to anticipate and respond. With good voyage planning and weather routing and an efficient boat, a smart and not-too-unlucky crew can avoid most of the really heavy weather. What's sometimes harder to avoid and to manage is the really light stuff.
What sailboat could survive a full-blown hurricane at sea? A fortunate one.
Read God Forsaken Sea by Derek Lundy. Be prepared for some terrible gut wrenching descriptions.
Me too. I cant remember ever hearing about a battleship or an aircraft carrier going down due to rough weather. And, the food is good.
maybe not breaking it's back.. but my father rememebers seeing the intrepid with her flightdeck even with the water... and he was on an LST. The carrier sailors joked that people on his ship should have gotten Submarine pay as they spent most of the time under the waves. From what he tells of the story, they were taking 50 degree rolls.. LSTs are only supposed to take 40 before the capsize. I know of the Westsail that survived the perfect storm.. and a few Alberg 37s that survived some serious weather. Two that went through the Fast Net Gale with minimal damage and one that wound up beached with only scratches from a hurricane
The USN would disagree with the idea that warships are safe in a typhoon. In 1944 a number of ships were capsized and lost in Typhoon Cobra. Typhoon Cobra (1944) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There are too many variables to say which boats would survive a hurricane. In a class 5 hurricane in the dangerous quadrant, essentially NO sailboat would be likely to survive. Currents, types of wave action, proficiency of the captain and crew, equipment on board, strategies for dealing with big seas, and whether you've pissed off Neptune...all variables making huge differences in ability to handle bad weather. It's not just the boat. An Alberg 35 survived the Fastnet storm by just taking sails down and going below with bare poles.
smurphny said: The USN would disagree with the idea that warships are safe in a typhoon. In 1944 a number of ships were capsized and lost in Typhoon Cobra. Typhoon Cobra (1944) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ... Click to expand...
Read "Rescue in the Pacific". Great book, not a hurricane, but a nasty storm none-the-less. All but one of the 'boats' survived it. It was the people that didn't.
OK, fine. Then I won't go to sea in a warship. That settles it.
I think it was one of Michner's books, maybe Tales of the South Pacific , that has a great fictional/historical account of this storm and what it must have been like to come upon the tragic sight of the wrong side of a destroyer from the deck of a sister ship.
Might have been. Will have to search around and find where that section came from. It was a really haunting description, in the middle of a raging storm, of one warship looking out ahead and coming upon one that had capsized. Really presented a vivid and disturbing scene that has stuck with me.
Make all the boat lists you want , but the thing that most makes a boat seaworthy is the person sailing her. There's no magic pill to get you through 30 foot seas. The best regarded blue water vessel ill managed at sea isn't worth spit . Conversely , a lessor boat skillfully handled might make a miracle .
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP) — At least three people were dead and up to 40 others remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a government official said Friday.
Civil Protection official Jean Henry-Petit said at least 31 people had been rescued by the Haitian coast guard.
The dead included the captain of the boat, according to Arnold Jean, a spokesperson for the police in Cap-Haïtien.
The fire likely started when two drums of gasoline ignited, Henry-Petit said. Passengers were drinking rum and whiskey, according to a witness, which may have come into contact with the flammable substance, causing the fire.
The police said the migrants were heading toward Providenciales, an island in the Caribbean archipelago the Turks and Caicos Islands.
On Friday, the Haitian police announced they were searching for the organizers of this clandestine trip and have launched an investigation to gather information to make arrests.
The incident comes as rampant violence continues to take hold of Haiti ‘s capital and beyond amid political turmoil. Armed gangs launched coordinated attacks in February, taking control of more than two dozen police stations and opening fire on Haiti’s main airport, which closed for nearly three months.
Since then, nearly 580,000 people have been displaced in the country, according to the U.N.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities are searching for one person who went missing after a tugboat flipped over in east Harris County waters on Friday afternoon.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, five people were aboard the tugboat when it flipped over just before 3 p.m. at the 16500 block of Peninsula Boulevard near San Jacinto Boulevard.
Four out of five people were recovered from the water and stabilized.
A Coast Guard helicopter and boats are searching for the missing person with a Harris County dive team.
The USCG credited a good Samaritan with helping recover the four rescued passengers.
For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook , X and Instagram .
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The FBI says it is searching for a fugitive wanted on a child sex trafficking charge who may be hiding in the Tampa area.
Donald Eugene Fields II, 60, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in May 2023. He was federally indicted on one count of child sex trafficking in December 2022. Fields and Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr. were accused of “knowingly attempting to recruit, entice, provide, patronize and solicit a minor into engaging in a commercial sex act from about January 2013 until June 2017,” the FBI said in a news release Friday.
In a December 2022 court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins said Sartori provided cash, cars, motorcycles, vacations and Christmas presents to Fields in exchange for access to the victim. Sartori was indicted on a charge of child sex trafficking and pleaded not guilty in December 2022. He is still awaiting trial.
Fields also faces charges of statutory rape, statutory sodomy, child molestation and witness tampering in Franklin County Circuit Court in Missouri. The court issued a warrant for his arrest after Fields “vacated his home” and failed to show up for a hearing on March 3, 2022, according to the FBI. A federal arrest warrant was issued for him on Dec. 8, 2022.
The FBI believes Fields could be hiding in the Tampa area since he was known to vacation in Florida. He may also be hiding in central Missouri, a few hours from where he used to live in Franklin County. The FBI is running ads in those areas on Facebook and Instagram.
Fields has a large tribal print tattoo near his shoulder and “may be relying on cash jobs such as tree-trimming,” according to the news release. The FBI previously said Fields had worked as a resale shop owner and an independent used car dealer.
The FBI is offering up to $250,000 for information leading to his arrest. Tips can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-225-5325.
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While the National Hurricane Center continued its confidence that there would be no tropical activity in Atlantic areas for the next week, Saharan dust and a few tropical waves were what forecasters watched Saturday.
The real impact for Florida on Saturday will come from the heat. The entire Florida peninsula can expect triple-digit heat indexes with some in Southwest Florida predicted for 110 degrees, and 106 as far north as Jacksonville. Heat advisories are in effect for seven South Florida counties.
A wave of Saharan dust is expected to arrive in South Florida Saturday morning and move north, arriving around Cape Canaveral by Sunday. The dust is expected to be thickest in South Florida , dissipating as it moves north.
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Tropical moisture may increase Florida's rain chances starting Monday, but, according to Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, it won’t be anything organized. Saharan dust, high wind shear and other factors are expected to keep the tropics quiet for the days ahead.
The Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves.
The peak of hurricane season runs from mid-August through mid-October. If your hurricane supplies are running low, or you haven't started an emergency kit, Florida's next sales tax holiday the end of August can help you save money.
A tropical wave is expected to approach the Florida peninsula Sunday, bringing downpours and gusty thunderstorms. A couple of waterspouts could occur, according to AccuWeather.
"As the tropical wave approaches and moves northwestward across the state from Sunday to Tuesday , an uptick in the showers and thunderstorms will occur with the potential for some to bring flooding downpours, strong wind gusts and even waterspouts near the beaches," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said.
The tropical wave is not forecast to develop into a tropical depression or a named tropical storm.
Saharan dust map: how long will tropics remain quiet.
The Saharan dust and winds are keeping the tropics quiet now, but forecasters say that will likely change.
"The favorable conditions that yielded Beryl are likely to return at some point in August, and that will probably yield an extended burst of hurricane activity ," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger.
"WeatherTiger’s real-time forecast remains for around twice the amount of storm activity in a normal hurricane season."
The next storm of the se ason will be Debby.
Portions of Southeast, South, Southwest Florida: Head index of 105-110 expected today.
Counties under a heat advisory include:
Palm Beach County
Collier County
Broward County
Miami-Dade County
The National Hurricane Center said no tropical cyclone activity is expected over the next several days.
Elsewhere in the tropics, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves. Here's the latest update from the NHC as of 8 a.m. July 20:
Tropical wave 1: An eastern Atlantic wave was identified via satellite imagery. It's producing some showers.
Tropical wave 2: In the central Caribbean, this wave is expected to move from the Windward Passage to northern Colombia and helping to induce scattered to numerous showers with embedded thunderstorms over Hispaniola and regional waters as well as across the Windward Passage and the waters between eastern Cuba and Jamaica. These storms may produce heavy downpours, lightning and gusty winds.
Tropical wave 3: Another tropical wave over the Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala is moving westward and producing scattered showers and may produce gusty winds or stronger storms in parts of the region.
A tropical wave is expected to bring tropical moisture to Florida starting Sunday.
Forecasters urge all residents to continue monitoring the tropics and to always be prepared. That advice is particularly important for what is expected to be a very active hurricane season.
Save on hurricane supplies between Aug. 24 and Sept. 6. This will be the final tax-free holiday for 2024 when it comes to emergency supplies and it comes during the busiest period of the hurricane season.
Can't afford a generator or weeks of food? Here are the basics you should have on hand.
Eligible items included in the tax-free holiday include:
A portable generator used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage with a sales price of $3,000 or less.
A tarp or other flexible waterproof sheeting with a sales price of $100 or less.
An item normally sold as, or generally advertised as, a ground anchor system or tie-down kit with a sales price of $100 or less.
A smoke detector or smoke alarm with a sales price of $70 or less.
A fire extinguisher with a sales price of $70 or less.
A carbon monoxide detector with a sales price of $70 or less.
A nonelectric food storage cooler with a sales price of $60 or less.
A portable power bank with a sales price of $60 or less.
A gas or diesel fuel tank with a sales price of $50 or less.
A portable self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather-band radio with a sales price of $50 or less.
A package of AA-cell, AAA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries, with a sales price of $50 or less.
A portable self-powered light source (powered by battery, solar, hand-crank, or gas) with a sales price of $40 or less, including: flashlights, lanterns and candles.
Eligible light sources and radios qualify for the exemption, even if electrical cords are included in the purchase.
Reusable ice (ice packs) with a sales price of $20 or less.
➤ See full list of items, including pet and cleaning supplies, exempt from sales tax
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.
Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include:
Excessive rainfall forecast, what's next.
We will continue to update our tropical weather coverage daily. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here .
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NHC forecasts no storms, but heat is Florida weather to watch
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Haulover Inlet the most dangerous Inlet in the US. Here you will find a variety of videos showing the coolest boats hitting rough waves through the infamous ...
To sail in a storm: Prepare the sailboat for a storm. Monitor the weather conditions. Adjust the sailboat to stabilize the vessel in the storm. Maintain communication with the coast guard. The number one priority when sailing in a storm is safely navigating through the water during these bad weather conditions. 1.
Two men in distress aboard a 25-foot sailboat tossed around in high surf from Hurricane Lee in the ocean waters off Westhampton Beach were pulled to safety after a dramatic helicopter rescue ...
The U.S. Coast Guard is attempting to rescue a sailboat stranded 400 miles off shore, caught in Hurricane Julio, a rare storm for Hawaii. The U.S. Coast Guard is working to rescue a sailboat about 400 miles off the coast of Oahu after it got caught in Hurricane Julio, one of two rare tropical ...
The boats were frequently caught in doldrums and set back by powerful ocean currents skirting the East Coast of the United States. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered ...
3. Keep your objects inside the boat during a hurricane. After anchoring your boat, 50% of the work is done. Now, it's time to pack all the objects which are outside the boat and keep them inside the boat. Now in this step, you need to do only one thing, just pack the necessary belongings and keep it inside the boat.
Above: A lone boat sits tied to a breakwater in a marina in a raging hurricane storm with big waves crashing over the docks. Photo by GEORGE DESIPRIS from Pexels.. One of the most important things to consider when choosing to stay on an anchor during a tropical storm is how much protection from both the winds and the waves the anchorage will provide. . Remember, the wind will shift at least ...
Hurricane Beryl has caused at least 22 deaths in the Houston area, and widespread power outages during and after the July 8 storm contributed to more than half of those fatalities. More than 2.2 ...
Officials in Haiti say at least three people have died and up to 40 remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands. ... The dead included the captain of the boat, according to Arnold Jean, a spokesperson for the police in Cap-Haïtien ...
The 42-foot sailboat Walkabout caught in Hurricane Julio, about 400 miles northeast of Oahu, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2014. ... the air crew could hear the Mayday calls from the boat. With Hurricane Julio ...
Hurricane Prep 101. A few things you should do when hauling your boat and preparing for a hurricane. Take down all of your canvas—sails, sail covers, biminis, seat cushions, take it all down. Make sure that your boat is watertight, shut all hatches, seal anything that might be leaking. There will be a lot of rain, be ready for it.
A family decides to ride out Hurricane Ivan on their sailboat. See more on Weather Caught on Cameral at Sunday 8pm only on The Weather Channel.
Compilation of our most spectacular ship in storm videos! Lean back while watching Tankers, Bulk Carriers, Navy Ships, Cruise Ships and Passenger Ferries fac...
By. Marisa Sullivan. Published on May 31, 2023 06:57PM EDT. The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port nine hours later than planned after sailing through a terrifying storm on Friday ...
In all mooring and anchoring arrangements, remember to increase scope to allow for storm surge — 10:1 if possible. Use heavy, oversized chain and oversized line in an approximate 50/50 ratio for the bow line. If you are using all-chain rode, use a sturdy snubber approximately 1/10 the length of the rode.
Seawater floods inland and overflows rivers, lakes, and neighborhoods with up to 30 feet of water. Boats caught in a storm surge get washed inland and pounded to bits against buildings, cars, trees, and infrastructure. How to Protect your Sailboat from Hurricanes. The best way to protect your sailboat from a hurricane is to get out of its way.
Again, it would be a lot easier to jib or furl the boat if the sails are up. Keep in mind that you should reef the sails when the wind is still manageable. As such, you should pay attention and monitor the winds at all times. Again, do not leave the cockpit if the winds are becoming stronger the boat is being tossed around. Invest in Storm Sails
Tami Oldham remained unconscious for 27 hours after hitting her head when the boat capsized during the hurricane. The severe head injury is visible on Shailene Woodley's character in the 2018 movie. At first, the Adrift movie seems to unfold differently than the true story. Tami wakes up and finds an injured Richard floating in the water as he ...
At least 40 people have died after the boat they were traveling in caught fire off the coast of Haiti earlier this week, the International Organization for Migration reported on Friday.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 19 (Reuters) - At least 40 Haitian migrants were killed at sea after gasoline-filled drums on their boat caught fire and exploded, the Miami Herald reported on Friday, citing ...
Reducing windage will help reduce the total loading, and hence help your boat stay put. 288. You can substantially reduce the windage of any boat with only a few hours of work. First, remove Bimini tops, cockpit dodgers, spray curtains around cockpits, and awnings. Those are pretty obvious.
The Coast Guard is coordinating the rescue of 42-foot sailboat Walkabout caught in Hurricane Julio 414 miles northeast of Oahu, Aug. 10, 2014. Walkabout is disabled and taking on water with three ...
Hurricane Information. A hurricane, sometimes known as a cyclone or typhoon, is a tropical rotating storm in the North Atlantic Ocean. They also occur in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher. Hurricanes only form over warm tropical oceans, usually above 27°C (81°F).
Officials in Haiti say at least three people have died and up to 40 remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the ...
The storm in that book actually happened after the battle of Leyte. The returning American fleet got caught in what was, at the time, the worst storm ever recorded (lowest barometric pressure). Several Destroyers were lost. If I had to choose a small boat to survive a hurricane I think I would choose one of those foam filled, unsinkable Etaps.
Officials in Haiti say at least three people have died and up to 40 remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands. ... The dead included the captain of the boat, according to Arnold Jean, a spokesperson for the police in Cap-Haïtien.
This week on Sailing GBU we attempt to change our whole sailing situation by installing an autopilot. Boat life doesn't give it up easy. Not every thing wor...
A Coast Guard helicopter and boats are searching for the missing person with a Harris County dive team. The USCG credited a good Samaritan with helping recover the four rescued passengers.
The FBI says it is searching for a fugitive wanted on a child sex trafficking charge who may be hiding in the Tampa area. Donald Eugene Fields II, 60, was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted ...
While the National Hurricane Center continued its confidence that there would be no tropical activity in Atlantic areas for the next week, Saharan dust and a few tropical waves were what forecasters watched Saturday.. The real impact for Florida on Saturday will come from the heat. The entire Florida peninsula can expect triple-digit heat indexes with some in Southwest Florida predicted for ...