Yes, all the yards were good, I saw one boat down and a few blown chocks but nothing bad. A tourist cat in Bobbies or the next yard had its stern cut off when three motor boats hit the wall and the two outer boats squeezed the boat in the middle up in the air 15 feet! Crazy.

 

Here is our list with photos of all boats Lost, Sunk or Destroyed in St Martin in the Lagoon and Marigot Bay

Hurricane Gonzalo St. Martin | Identifing and documenting boats damaged during Hurricane Gonzalo.

 

Excellent reporting Mark. Sad to see a Nonsuch (Destin) on the shore. But, looks like it may be salvageable. Any further info on it? Looks like the boatyards will be bu$y this winter.

 

Mark, any particulars available on Yolo. We know a boat of that name out cruising that could have been there, but it is not a rare name these days.

 

Its not the Yolo with the two young people on it. I think they went south to Grenada. He is working as a Captain somehwere. i cant even remeber their names... I'm a goose...

 

What about the sailor who died? Any news on what happened to him/her?

MedSailor

 

What about the sailor who died? Any news on what happened to him/her?

MedSailor

Yes, his boat was at a dock and a larger boat next to him, or blew onto him and his boat was crushed.

Very sad. He was a very well known cruiser here.

 

Mark -
Any thoughts on "which" boats washed up and "how"? I.e., were they largely unoccupied (owner ashore) boats? Boats which had been left for a long period of time? Boats which did not special prep for the storm? Or, were those sort of factors irrelevant? Were their clusters of boats taken ashore by one dragging boat hooking the others? Were any efforts to save the boats made during the storm, (un)successful?

Just looking to see if there is any takeaway here for the rest of us. Thanks

 

Mark -
Any thoughts on "which" boats washed up and "how"? I.e., were they largely unoccupied (owner ashore) boats? Boats which had been left for a long period of time? Boats which did not special prep for the storm? Or, were those sort of factors irrelevant? Were their clusters of boats taken ashore by one dragging boat hooking the others? Were any efforts to save the boats made during the storm, (un)successful?

Just looking to see if there is any takeaway here for the rest of us. Thanks

See Post # 70 for a Google Earth photo showing you a difficult area.

Many of the boats had people aboard, about half, maybe?
There were multiple reasons why people washed ashore:
Anchor drag
Mooring drag
Chain breakage
Bow cleats broken
Rode chafe
Collision with draggers
Genoa unfurling causing loss of rig or drag

What I didn't do:
I didn't criticise enough the people who said the wind would not be strong.
I didn't take my genoa and main off
I didn't half fill my dinghy with water.

There was no possibility of helping anyone during the storm. The conditions were too violent. I decided I wold not be able to help anyone unless it was a child in the water and I knew where they were.

Lessons reinforced to me: as I say in many, many posts after so many tragedies "Only Sail in the Right Season". Because we are in a Hurricane area during the season then one must really take it seriously. I did. I did 6 months research on the right place to be moored and the right mooring to be on. I booked that mooring for the whole season 6 months in advance. Because that was done I was pretty happy. Even thoug the chance of being dragged into was there, because of my location that was mitigated to only a wind direction of 90 degrees and you dont get that wind till the storm has almost passed so the boats liable to drag have already done so.

I am not saying I am better than anyone else, and there but for the grace of whatever my boat was fine, however, I had a plan devised before I decided to spend the hurricnae season here and my plan worked.

Other points of interest: All boats in Mmarigot bay dragged ashore except one. They all knew whatever wind we had would be out of the north which makes Marigot untenable. They all had, or should have had, at least 2 hours notice of the last bridge on the French side.

The things on the day that made it difficult: The day before I thought it would be 45 knots, NOAA agreed. Many people here thought it would only be 25 knots. On the day it happened that thought was still running through most people. If we had know the day before it was going to be a Cat 2 Hurricane preparations would have been different. Every sail on every boat would have been off.
If in the morning of the storm everyone was pulling their sails down I would have done that too... A sheep? Baaaaaa! But my sails can do 50 or more knots up on the furler and mast so to have gone against the collective thought of others would have been a bit weird. By the time we knew it was gunna be big the wind had already picked up too much to dump the sails... Although I did think of it, wondered if I should do it and risk being blown off the deck.
But those decisions are all too late! Being in the wrong season one must take higher precautions....

Would I be here again? Sure. On the same mooring, or in one particular marina, yes. I would not stay on the boat.

By the way, many boats washed ashore that hit beaches in the lagoon are OK. Bit of polish and they will be fine.

 

Sounds like that if you are going to be in the hurricane area during hurricane season and not planning to go sailing regularly that maybe you should just take the sails off in general. Of course you have to have space to store them.

 

I will say, stay in the wáter in st marteen in july, aug, sep, oct , a stupid idea......
Ride the cane onboard , a doublé stupid idea....
Consider the inner lagoon a good hurricane hole,, in dreams..

That location in the lagoon its a trap, almost all the lagoon is a trap if you have boats around, just luck can save your ass from be blown out ashore or draged to the rocks, Luis and Lenny probe that.... and the worst.. have childrens onboard with a dangerous lee shore in a cane is insane.

The best 2 ways to avoid or minimize damage or loss of lifes is, 1 , put your butt in the very south, 2 ... unstep your mast and strap your boat to the ground.. thats it....

Gonzalo has been a baby cane, cat 2 to 4 ,, well yes just figúrate...

 

I hope y'all in the Carib are watching that little thing blow up there down in Campeche - they seem to think it's going to move east and possibly develop there in the western Carib

 

Didn't Gonzalo run over Bermuda? Didn't hear a thing about it. As I think about it, I don't recall any regular posters that live in Bermuda. Touched surprised.

 

I saw a mainstream media headline that said it took out all power to Bermuda.

MedSailor

 

I have family in Bermuda. It ran right over it. Still trying to get through.

 

The eye ran right over the top of Bermuda.

No loss of live but quite a few roofs went walkabout.

Many boats beached, damaged and a few sunk.

Gonzalo then rushed across the Atlantic and pounded the UK with 70 mph winds.

I don't think it is responsible for the Med storm but have not looked at the big synoptic.

 

Mark:

How about an update on how St. Martin recovering? Any effects that you have noticed on your lifestyle since the storm? Especially interested what became of that Nonsuch Destin.

 

Theres at least 25 boats still ashore. Most of them derelicts i.e. No salvage value and expensive to move. The salvage companies are pretty well on top of everything thats going to pay bills. After that and as the tourist season gets underway the French government is going to have to pay for the removal of about 10 boats on its Marigot tourist beach.

The ones in the Lagoon are a different matter as there are boats splatter about going back through past hurricanes years and years...

Still a few with sails flapping, known owners on island etc. just disgraceful, but if you dont have money what can you do?

Theres still some people doing it very hard with no money, no boat, dontated clothes, no way out. Thats difficult. Those that can find jobs and start again, will, I suppose. The rest need to be repatriated to their come country by the host country.

The general lifestyle here is fine. Its been a spark to the economy, brutal to say, but disasters make people spend money, and makes the workers work hard in a down time part of the season.

Cruise ship passengers would see no difference at all... Nor would anyone else unless they book a hotel in Margot and find a wreck on their beach.

 

I quite literally bought the boat we have now, as an alternative to a day sailor and a waterfront property. Way, way, way cheaper too! When I get nasty bills, I try to remind myself of just the real estate taxes, yard bills, roof repairs and new boilers, all around me.

We live aboard, like we would live in a second home. If the coast is destroyed, I move. No way to move a condo.

 

Quite right about the second home. After Hurricane Sandy came through I found my boat 1,000 feet away from where I left her. Still floating and attached to the mooring. Storm surge lifted it off the bottom and dragged it across the harbor. Meanwhile on land there was no electricity for two weeks, no internet, no refrigeration etc... So I just remained on the boat where I had all those things including hot water for showers. Life is good on board a boat. Even after major storms create havoc on land.

 

Geese. I am glad i was not there...:cut_out_animated_em