Yesterday, I spent some time preparing ORION for Tropical Storm Jose, although today, Jose's threat has greatly - and thankfully - diminished. Obviously, in the event of a significant hurricane or tropical storm, I would have hauled her out of the water, but it looked like we were going to get a glancing blow at best. So, I did the next best thing, which was to make her as secure as possible on her mooring. These are the things I did:
- Wrap the mainsail tightly with line (I could have taken the main off, but elected not to)
- Secure the furling line to a cleat so wind can't whip the line out of its cam cleat
- Ship the rudder and store in the cabin to reduce windage
- Secure the boom using a line attached to both quarter cleats so it won't sway back and forth
- Tie down the forward hatch inside the cabin so the wind can't rip it off
- Attach an extra line from the bow eye to the mooring chain as a backup should the pennant chafe through
- Make sure seacocks were open and unclogged of debris
- Tie off halyards to the shrouds so they won't smack on the mast
- Make sure cabin portlights were closed securely
- Double-check that the motor's air vent is fully closed and fuel intake is off
- Make sure everything is out of the cockpit and nothing can blow off
That's about it! The whole procedure took less than an hour, and I feel confident ORION will be safe on her mooring - providing the mooring is secure, of course, which I believe (and hope) it is!