Well I have been remiss in my blogging. So I have a lot of catching up to do. But first let me tantalize you with an upcoming project.
Belaying pin

A beautiful set of teak belaying pins by Mike Anderson of Anderson Boat Works

yep, it’s gonna be fun. It will also make Shanti even more versatile and salty looking.

If you want a set for your very own, contact Mike at Anderson Boat Works.

Anderson Boat Works in California

Plus I will have a few more blogs in store for everyone. Two big ones in particular. Installing a new engine and replacing the chain plates.

Stay tuned.

Hi all,
Back in March of 2009 I decided to try “Honey Teak” which is a 2 part varnish. Practical Sailor had done a test and found it to hold up well as much as 5 years out. They reported no loss of finish. Now I don’t know exactly how the “finish” part was defined. You can read the report here http://www.signaturefinish.com/fabula_practical_sailor.pdf (large download)

Anyway, I had to redo all the varnish on Shanti down here in the tropics. We usually only get about 6 months on a varnish job before we need to top coat it again. And that is with a 8 coat varnish job to begin with.

So I was anxious to use this new wonder product. Also a little apprehensive, as a failure would be difficult and time consuming to remove. Read my post about being “on the dock“. The Honey Teak was applied 28 months ago.

This is a 2 part 2 part system. It uses 2 different types of coats that are both 2 part. You first apply a 2 part undercoat. I did the recommended 2 coats of the first part. This first part has a strong brown tint to it (honey?). This is from all the UV inhibitors that are loaded in it. Then I applied 3 coats of the clear top coat. This was all done wet on wet, except for the change from undercoat to top coat.

The final finish looked GREAT! (note: planks are oiled)

March 2009

The finish Now at 28 months. Notice the reflection of the rope.

I did wait just a little too long to put on some maintenance coats. On the eyebrow (trim around cabin) I lost finish on the edge. So now I will have a few “dark” spots when I refinish. All I will be doing for maintenance is a light sand with a red 3M pad. Then 2 coats wet on wet.

The key here is to not wait to apply the “maintenece” coats. It’s easy to put off since you need to sand and varnish a surface that looks great. I should have done this back in March.

So in the end I got a solid 2 years out of this system. For the Caribbean that is GREAT!

Down side is the expense. But compared to how much labor you save I think it’s worth every penny.

Cheers, Gary

Back from the yard at last!

It has been a long 7 weeks out of the water. A bottom job and repair of Shanti’s drive train were the main reasons for the haulout. I will expand on them in the next post.

We decided to repaint Shanti’s bulwarks and change the color scheme a bit. The primary color went from off white to Grand Banks beige, with a burgundy accent stripe. Also did the bottom paint in black instead of green. That was due to the bottom paint we used only being available in black. But I like it.

Here is a pic of Shanti shot with my iPhone.

Shanti's new colors

Well we made it through Hurricane Earl. No problems to speak of except for a torture test of the synthetic rigging. Others were not so lucky. So far I have heard (from a local tow/salvage company) that 40 boats were put on the beach or sunk. Two boats anchored in the harbor of Charlotte Amalie were dis-masted from the severe pitching, although their anchors or moorings held. No deaths or injuries that I am aware of. Most if not all of the boats were in anchorages exposed to the WEST. 

Now for the uninitiated, if a hurricane is going to be passing to the North of your position the wind will blow out of the North, West, then south directions. There was one large (~120ft) mega yacht that was anchored in Brewers Bay here on St. Thomas. Totally open to the west with fetch all the way from Puerto Rico, about 45 miles away. I commented to my fiancé I couldn’t believe someone had anchored there for the storm. The day after, seen in a bar looking a bit hangared and drinking copious amounts of rum, the crew was overheard to say the wind came out of a very strange direction. This was after a hell of a night re-anchoring 5 times and motoring into the storm while on the hook. Their nice 26ft runabout was unceremoniously deposited on to the beach after the 3/4″ tow line snapped in the storm. The only thing I can think of was the Capitan thought (or didn’t) since the storm is North of him the wind would be from the north. NOT! The wind will back through 3 quadrants of the compass as a hurricane passes your location. The problem comes from deciding where it will pass you. So if it will pass close you have to take a gamble in deciding on a hurricane hole and where you place your anchors. Or you can prepare for all quadrants of the compass. 

Here is what happened for boats anchored with WEST exposure during Hurricane EARL.  

click on photo for larger view. 

fig.1 Anchorage for 120ft Mega yacht

fig.2 Poor anchorage for Hurricane Earl on St. Thomas

fig.3 St. John anchorages open to West

This video above was just the start. The most severe weather occured during the night.

Summary 

40 yachts on the beach or sunk from a near miss by Hurricane Earl. Closest point of approach approximately 80-90 miles of St. Thomas. Official winds at St. Thomas airport 50kts with gusts to 68kts. Wind backed from NE to SW before going back to trade wind pattern from the East. 100% of boats that were beached or sunk were in anchorages open to the WEST. 

Next: Part II Hurricane Holes 

Cheers, Gary

Hello from beautiful St. Thomas! 

At least it is today, but we still have a few weeks of an active hurricane season left on the calender. This post is in response to a post over on the BCC Forum. I was asked to write about how I secure Shanti in the mangroves for a hurricane. So I will talk about my experiences with 4 hurricanes and how I survived them basically intact. 

Experiences 

So far after 25 years in the Caribbean I have been through 4 hurricanes. Marilyn was a cat 2-3 and I saw the eye. We caught the NE quadrant and it destroyed the island. 80% of the electrical infrastructure was knocked out. Extensive physical damage with thousands of damaged roofs and whole houses leveled. I rode this one out aboard Angelsea. I had water, food, fuel, communications and a box of Snickers Bars. I did quite well during the storm. After watching the barometer bottom out and start back up I went to bed. Next day I awoke to see total destruction of St. Thomas. So I pulled up my anchors bent on my sails and sailed over to the BVI. They were far enough away from the eye that I could get a shower and a cold drink. I did suffer some damage. I lost my VHF antenna. 

Massive loss of boats during Hurricane Marilyn. Anchorage was too exposed to the south.

There were approximately 85 boats anchored in the main harbor of St. Thomas at the beginning of the storm. There were 5 boats left after the storm. The local Coast Guard cutter was up on the waterfront. It’s really strange when you hear the USCG putting out a mayday. 

Our earliest hurricane was next. Hurricane Bertha past to our North, a little closer than Earl as a CAT2 hurricane on July 6th, 1996. We had 60-80kts of wind. I was watching out my port hole when a whole huge tree blew past. I suffered no damage and St. Thomas had been hardened by Hurricane Marilyn. 

September 21, 1998 brought in Hurricane Georges. Even though the weather service said we had 60-80kts of wind from Georges, it didn’t seem any where near as strong as Bertha. Georges past about 35 miles to our south close to St. Croix as a CAT2 And we caught the NE quadrant. But Angelsea rode her out very nicely. Again no damage. 

Finally this year, August 30th, a couple of weeks ago, we saw Hurricane Earl. Earl passed about 80 miles to our north as a CAT3 and we saw 50-70kts of wind. 40 boats were put ashore or sunk. All of these were in anchorages exposed to the west. For 4-5 hours we saw the wind back between W and SW and blow 50-70kts. So the west facing anchorages got hammered. (see previous post). Of course my new BCC “Shanti” rode the storm out in fine fashion. 

Hurricane tracks for the Virgin Islands. 1995 to present.

So where did I weather all these storms? The MANGROVES! 

My favorite hurricane hole for St. Thomas, Benners Bay.

To see my hurricane hole on St. Thomas click here for Google Earth, then click “open”. You need Google Earth installed on your computer. Or you can click on the photo above, although it’s not as good as GE. 

What I look for in a hurricane hole 

I would ideally like no more than a couple of hundred yards of fetch in any one direction. This idea comes from the fact that you never know exactly which way a hurricane will go. So I like to prepare for wind and waves from any quadrant. And of course it goes without saying that you want good holding. Most times it’s the waves, not the wind that causes most of the problems. In my previous post I mentioned 2 boats that lost there masts from extreme pitching of their vessels. Of course, a weak rig may have also been a big factor. One of the boats in question may have also left a sail on that got loose in the wind. I have not had a chance to take a closer look. Of course this is not a perfect world and you or I may have to accept less than ideal in some circumstances. Let’s hope that never happens. 

Why I like mangroves 

1. Extremely protected. Usually no more than 500ft fetch in any one direction.
2. 30ft high mangrove trees make a good wind break.
3. Mangrove trees are extremely strong. Excellent to tie off to.
4. Usually mangrove areas are very shallow allowing one to put out enough scope for storm conditions and some extra for storm surge.
5. Great holding. Usually a soft clay/hard mud bottom. Very sticky, but a mess to clean up after words.

Please keep in mind that mangrove areas are shallow. I would strongly suggest checking out any mangrove areas first BEFORE you need them. I made sketch charts for the areas I was interested in long before any hurricanes arrived. You will need a lead line or use your boat hook as a sounding pole. Also, mangrove areas are popular, so go early to get a good spot. And don’t be surprised that you may need to re-secure poorly secured boats next to you, put there by bare boat companies or people who just don’t know. 

Places I don’t like

1. Areas with more than 1 mile of open water. The lagoon in St. Marteen is an excellent example. They lost 1500 boats in Hurricane Louis. Many areas in the lagoon have more then 2 miles of fetch. Also be weary of areas protected by reefs. With a storm surge, all of a sudden there is no protecting reef.
2. Boat yards. They can be good, but can also be a disaster in the making. Use only a yard that ties the stands together athwart ships. Do not use a yard that has a dirt base. Flooding can undermine the stands. One of the best ideas I have seen is on the island of Virgin Gorda in the BVI. They dig trenches for the boats keel to sit in.
3. Docks are a bad idea. The storm surge can lift a vessel over the pillings and pound a hole in your freshly waxed hull. Or just beat your vessel against the dock. Either way your SUNK.

Boat yards can be a disaster.

 Thats all for now. The next post will cover How I secure the boat.

Cheers, Gary