HURRICANE MATTHEW UPDATE – She’s South Carolina Bound, Then Back To Florida! !

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OK, South Carolina or if the red track is right, Matthew will be touring Florida! YIKES!

Ya, ya, I know you can get all your updates from a billion sources, but this is just for our Woodyboaters and how you and your boat can be more safe, and protected. We here have been through a bunch of hurricanes since the South East seems to be home to so many. First. It’s the wind that always scares the crap out of me. Tides are tides and flooding can happen for all sorts of other things. Yes a tide serge is my absolute worst fear, but after Sandy at High tide I think, hope or know what the worst can be for us.  But massive wind blows out power and makes a mess of things. So things that touch you when it all goes down more than the hyped up local weather people say. And the sound, the all night blowing and stuff crashing outside does not make a calm night. You do learn to appreciate electricity though. Here are some dumb things I think about. Please add your own tips in the comment section, you never know what you dont know and some dumb comment about Bacon could save, well.. your bacon.

  1. Make sure the “shed” you put your boat away in is actually safe and not going to be smashed on the boat. All the photos we get are shed, barn roofs on boats.
  2. Sometimes your boat in the water in a safe tucked away in a protected cove is better than on land. Thats what some of the old timers say and do.  I listen to the old timers, but watch Nikke-Dee! WE ALL WATCH NIKKE-DEE! screen-shot-2016-10-05-at-2-09-42-pm-copy
  3.  Boat houses can be tough, since the boat could smash into the boat house or rise to hit the top. Cruisers for example, take them out of a tight boat house.
  4. Fuel, you want to get that now, since pumps at gas stations go out with the power. Can’t run a generator on no fuel. Don’t forget bread and Milk… OK, to be honest I have no idea why that always is the sell out. But that’s what we do in the south in natural disasters.
  5. Start your generator now. Note to self BTW, it may have some old fuel in it. And a not starting generator during a power outage SUCKS. Its the sort of thing that makes your boatress wonder if you have been watching Nikke-Dee to much.
  6. Remove anything,  ANYTHING in the yard and deck that could become a missile. NOT KIDDING! I have seen deck chairs fly across the yard. If a deck chair flies across the yard and smashes into your woody boat, first, we told you so, second, send pictures. We will feature you.
  7.  Take a shower before it hits, it may be the last one for days. Electric Hot Water heater? And in our case we have a Well, so no pump when the power goes out. So fill up the tub, after you shower of course.  in case you need water for the toilet. See, its the dumb things. Do you have a Sump pump back up system? Runs on a battery.
  8. Is your insurance up to date and Include Hurricane coverage? I think you can still Call Carla. In some cases getting new coverage may be tough from anyone. But guess what, natural disasters happen all the time, so GET INSURANCE! Hagerty Insurance.
  9. Clean all the dead branches and stuff if you can TODAY! They will all wind up someplace you don’t want. Like wedged in the side of your boat. Send pics if that happens. OK, rule of thumb, any thing that happens, send pics. Sorry about your misery, But Misery builds clicks. Someone should get something out of your misfortune. And who knows, maybe we will all help you get back to boating. Misery loves company!
  10.  Know that no matter how crappy it gets, To Quote Scarlett O’Hara

We encourage you to contact Hagerty at 800-762-2628 to confirm your policy carries the “hurricane protection endorsement”. This coverage includes having your covered boat professionally hauled out of the water at the time a watch/warning is issued for your area. The other option is to hire a qualified individual to navigate your covered boat to a safe harbor. Should your current policy NOT have this protection, we are happy to add at any time throughout the year, INCLUDING NOW! Please give us a call at 800-762-2628. Prayers coming to all of you.

6 replies
  1. m-fine
    m-fine says:

    I don’t think there are a lot of Florida homes with sump pumps as there is usually no basement.

    Make sure you have a gas or propane griddle to cook your bacon. Charcoal grills also work well without power and cast iron over charcoal can fry up a delicious breakfast. Just don’t try it indoors without adequate ventilation.

  2. Jim Staib
    Jim Staib says:

    Beer. Don’t forget the beer. There’s gonna be a hurricane party somewhere and you don’t want to show up empty handed.
    After a five day power outage I hooked the generator directly to the house. Enough to power the fridge, well and water heater, everything but the a/c. Not an issue generally cause snow knocks out the power half the time.

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