MacGregorSailors.com

I'm sitting here watching Wilma on CNN and praying you are all OK down there.

They keep showing images of a small yacht moored in the waves in Cooper City, and it doesn't look good for that boat... seems like the bow line has now broken loose and water is being pushed into the cockpit. Can't tell what sort of boat it is, but it looks like a 30-footer or so. Not looking good for this one... I expect she may founder soon...

After this storm season, I would be that 25% to 30% of the boats for sale on Ebay and some yacht sites will be storm damaged boats.

Buyers Beware!

Thanks,kmclemore I too have been watching , and Feeling as well.. I hope everyone is O.K. in South Fl., up here in Central Fl. we were very , very lucky ! At least at my house , we haven't any bad damage to speak of . The house ,the autos ,and the boat are Fine ! Thanks

I have relatives in Sarasota and scattered down the coast to Sanibel Island. I remember hurricanes when I was a Florida boy. But they were nothing like what we have seen lately. I would halfway consider retiring on the West coast (of Florida) but the weather experts are saying we are in for a 20 to 30 year period of very bad hurricanes.

Except for tornados, my little piece of lake heaven in Kansas is looking pretty good.

Well, we just need these things to blow all the impervious insects away for a few days. Electric comes back on before well stored ice melts.

The paths of destruction that these storms create are rather narrow and only take out a few counties at a time.

It's the insurance underwriters that will eventually catch on and wipe the landscape clean.

I finally got electricity back on Wed. evening here in Miami. I had pulled my boat from Coconut Grove and put it on my trailor in front of my house. To prepare the boat I tied it to the trailor in three places in addition to the strap I use when trailoring. I also filled up the ballast water. I removed everything I could including the bimini, jib, and boom. I then tied all cables up tight so they wouldn't move. I left the mast because I had nowhere to put it.

Since I have no truck (and had borrowed one to pull the boat out of the water) I had tied the trailor to a street light post, my house, and a tree so that the trailor wouldn't move during the hurricane. When my neighbor saw all the lines I had going across my yard he offered to hitch his large pickup truck to the trailor and keep it in front of my house.

In Miami we sustained 100 mph + winds for about 5 hours. We had very little rain. The boat + trailor did move a couple of times that I looked, but I think having it hitched to the heavy pickup truck did the trick.

The only damage to the boat is the handle for releasing the water ballast in the stern somehow broke off. Other than that there was no damage. There are not even any scratches from flying debris.

I'm glad I had sufficient time to pull the boat from the water, because the pictures from the marinas don't look pretty.

Ron

West Palm Beach Report:

Our boat is OK. This year we left it at the sailing club about 50 yards from the Intracosatal Waterway instead of bringing it home. The new trailer has a capacity of 6,000 pounds so we can put 1,400 pounds water in the ballast tank without having to block up the trailer frame. We also had it rachet-strapped down to a couple of tie-down points screwed into the ground. Mast was down and furled genoa well secured to it and the wheels blocked. Wilma stripped the cloth cover off the spare tire - cost: $2.50

So, we prepared well and were lucky. No Katrina for us.

Our house did well. Luckily, this year we will get a new roof like all the neighbors did last year. Last year the deductible exceeded the damage. Gasoline is a problem for many. We had 15 gallons on the boat which we are using for the generator so we are ok. Hope to get power before too long. Nice October cold front has dry air in the 60's and 70's. No sweat.

Glad to hear that you made it through ok!

I live halfway between Miami and Ft Lauderdale on the intracoastal.

My power was restored on Tuesday night, but internet (Comcast cable) was not restored until late last night.

Left my 26X in the water in the canal right outside my condo. I had lowered the mast onto the holder, secured everything well. Ten lines holding the boat to the seawall/dock, three large bumpers. We had sustained 100 mph winds racing through the canal. The most important lines are the fore and aft lines, both running straight to neighbors dock pilings. Those do the yeomans work in keeping the boat steady in the winds. Because it is a canal, nearly 100% of the winds come from the fore and aft directions.

Survived the storm with no damage. And only about a pint of water inside the boat (that really surprised me!).

One of my neighbors also with a 26X, the hurricane winds actually lifted the rear seat into the open position! But no damage also.