It’s Hurricane Season – just in case you missed the memo!  It’s been a slow start to the 2024 season, but preparation is crucial to saving your blood pressure, minimizing damage to your boat and ensuring safety.

Start with a long-term plan:

1. Get your boat onto a haulout list for a yard close to your slip. That way, your boat will at the top of their list, not on the ‘we will get to it if we have time’ list. Once yards start hurricane hauling, the charge is double and you don’t get a powerwash. If you call up at the last minute, there is a chance they will not be able to haul your boat, so…

2. Have a plan for leaving the boat in the water – make sure you have plenty of lines and fenders.

3. If your boat is in the yard for the Hurricane season, ensure that sails and canvas are removed and anything on deck is well secured.

Have a last minute checklist:

1. Start by removing all loose items from the deck, securing anything that cannot be removed, and ensuring all hatches, port lights, and companionway are tightly closed.

2. Remove sails and canvas

3. Disconnect shore power cord and electrical equipment

4. Shut off fuel lines, close seacocks, ensure bilge pump is working

5. Remove any electronics and valuable items from the boat.

6. Double-check the mooring lines and add extra lines (of different lengths), chafe protectors and plenty of fenders.

If possible, relocate your boat to a safer location such as a hurricane hole or a marina with floating docks.

Ensure you have an updated inventory of your boat’s contents and that your insurance policy is current and covers hurricane damage.

YaZu Pro Tip:

If you are about to close on a boat, do not do so until a named storm has passed.  Insurance companies will not insure new owners for hurricane damage, on a new policy, if a named storm is tracking towards the boat’s location when they take ownership.