TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Simpson Bay Marina post Irma

Marina

I see my friends' boat on the far removed dock Just the bow and mast anyway. Not sure how yachting will possibly come back this winter.

You know, I saw some really BIG boats sunk in some various photographs. Not sure why boats of that size weren't moved away when the storm was coming?

Watching this video the young couple on Mischief made is heartbreaking. When she cried, I cried.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBrlfGueMKg

Have all in the sailing community been accounted for? She mentions that she knows people stayed on their boats.

I cried too...

Carol, it is because the captains of these boats didn't take the hurricane seriously. They had at least a 5 day warning to get their boats to safe territory. And as being a boat it is very mobile to get out of harms way. I feel sorry for the couple in the video posted BUT at the beginning they had a not understanding attitude, even laughing at some points. After going through the hurricane there was no more laughing.

Wendell

Not being a boater, I'm not sure what their options were. If they took the warnings seriously from the very start, would it have been possible to sail in a southwesterly direction from St Maarten to avoid the hurricane?

I would say yes...

While true all the boats could have taken off with the several days notice you have to understand that with that timeframe the storms are very far away and you are relying on computer models for a track that may or may not be true. Having a small boat is much different than the French military ships that arrived after Irma but had to quickly speed away before Jose. These ships can go very quickly in any direction and can also handle the rough seas much better than their small sailboat.

A small sailboat has such a small window to either heed the warning days in advance and take off or bunker down and hope for the best. What you don't want to do is get caught in the middle....taking off but not allowing yourself enough time to get out of harm's way. Just going 50 miles out so that you are away from the eye isn't going to help much in a boat like the one they had. Most people would probably opt for dry land and by the looks of the marina pictures and footage....looks like most did. Waking up alive with no boat is better than a lot of the other scenarios.

For yacht insurance purposes, there is an area referred to as “the box”. Your insurance company prefers that your yacht be outside of the box during hurricane season, and your rate will vary based on your plans. ‘Course yachties can always pay the higher rates, or decide to go without insurance.

We all make choices and take chances. Some work out better than others.

http://www.yachtinsure.com/news-hurricanes-navigation-box-insurance.html

I once read that the Simpson Bay Lagoon was considered a safe moorage during storms and ships would seek refuge there to keep out of harms way.

Since hurricane Luis in 1995, Simpson Bay Lagoon has been considered a death trap for any boat that stays in the Lagoon. Hurricane "lefty" Lenny in 1999 destroyed many boats in Simpson Bay Lagoon as well.

Hurricane Gonzolo in 2014 brought that fact to bear once again for the boats that didn't understand Simpson Bay Lagoon is not safe during a hurricane.

Now with hurricane Irma's destruction displayed in the news, more cruisers will know it is not safe to leave their boats in Simpson Bay Lagoon during hurricane season.

Boats stored on land have a better chance of surviving but everything is vulnerable in a category 5 hurricane.

Yes it is better to be out of the "hurricane box" during hurricane season but many new Caribbean sailors each cruising season aren't ready, able or have the necessary sailing skills to make the long trip south to places like Trinidad.

There was certainly ample warning to boaters...they just had to take it seriously. Trade Winds Cruise Club took it seriously. They ordered all their boat staff to take all the cats from Cole Bay, from Tortola and from Guadeloupe and sail south to Venezuela. The result...all boat staff and all boats are safe. Unfortunately we don't know how the shore support staff fared in SXM, BVI and Guadeloupe.
As for when those boats and staff will return is a very big question as many parts of these islands don't even have a basic infrastructure. If you've ever listened to a government official telling you about when things are going to be fixed or built you can count on only ONE thing...the cost will be triple and the time span will be double. I truly believe this will certainly apply to SXM...sadly.