Yeah, there’s a hurricane coming and you have a lot of things to do.
Aside from your family and home, there is your boat – a big investment that takes considerable time to take care of when things are going to get ugly.
In the dark world of hurricanes readiness, planning is the king.
There should be an order to the process – family, important paperwork, the home and the boat.
So let’s say you have everything else in order. Which begs the question – what about the boat?
Everything about the pending arrival of a tropical system needs to make you contemplate the “what ifs.”.
Do you have a plan and does everyone in the family know it?
If they don’t, make it happen.
Now, as the guy or gal who takes care of the boat, the list is slightly different than the house and other belongings.
First and foremost understand that a hurricane watch gives you about 36 hours before things get nasty. A warning gives your about 24.
With either one, if you haven’t taken care of things, you probably are out of luck.
But just in case you are smarter than the average bear, there are a few things you can do to help your property.
For starters, make sure your insurance is up to date and that it covers your needs. Know what it covers and who is responsible for problems.
If you have a boat you can tow, make sure your trailer is in good shape and get the boat on it. Take the bilge water plug out.
If you plan on keeping it close, make sure it’s in a place when tree limbs won’t cause problems.
If things get to where you might be thinking about evacuating, take it with you.
If your vessel is going to remain locally, get extra rope for mooring and make sure plenty of it is long enough to handle the rising water from storm surge.
You can find graphics of how a boat should be moored in different dock formations.
And maybe the most serious of all situations – storm surge and flooding are the top killers of humans in such storms.
For moored vessels, make sure the battery that runs the bilge pump is fully charge and in working order. You don’t want to see your vessel sunk on the bottom because it flooded.
Remove all other electronics and spray WD-40 on all electrical equipment.
If you must move your vessel, thing about a “hurricane hole,” places like rivers, canals, waterways and other protected areas where safety might be better.
The Great Dismal Swamp Canal is a great, sometimes used, place to hide.
But none of this means anything to a family that is scared for their lives, and pretty much everybody understands that.
If a cyclone is coming, know what to expect, stick to your plan to the best of your ability, and only try to accomplish do what you can.
Your car, house, belongings and all that other stuff is wonderful.
But it means nothing if you make it onto a hurricane death list.
To read more of my work, go to: leetolliveroutdoors.com
