When a named storm threatens? The first time we faced one of these monsters, we had no plan. We hurriedly sailed to the closest, well-known hurricane hole, thinking that once we were there, we’d be safe. There were two flaws with our non-plan. We were still in the forecast track of the storm, and we hadn’t a clue what to do once we got there. Had some experienced cruisers not taken the time to share their knowledge, we would’ve lost the boat. When the Category 5 storm rolled directly over us, it beat us up, but we survived.

Next time, we had a plan. Deciding that flight beats fight, we ducked well south and barely felt a breeze in the snug harbor we’d chosen. Our storm plan is simple: decide where the storm is going; get ourselves out of the track in a timely manner; and pick a good hurricane hole in case we’re wrong about the storm’s track.

DECIDE WHERE THE STORM IS GOING

Don’t get your weather from the scuttlebutt over sundowners at the local beach bar. Listening to the experts yourself can help you stay a couple of steps ahead of Mother Nature, but they don’t always agree, and sometimes they don’t get it right. Listen to as many as you can, learn from them, and become your own expert.

Study the weather patterns before the season starts, and make it a habit to check both the forecasts and the raw data twice daily. Make your own forecasts and compare them to the experts. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll surprise yourself with your accuracy, but where do you get your information?

An SSB radio alone can give you data, forecasts, expert interpretation and even customized weather forecasts for your immediate area if you listen at the right time. The Coast Guard schedule for Offshore Waters Forecasts can be found at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/hfvoice.htm. Three popular nets featuring weather forecasts and discussions are: George K2PG Cline’s Marine Weather Net (Ham license required to talk, but anyone can listen), Herb Hilgenberg’s Southbound II Net and Chris Parker’s Caribbean Weather Center. You can find a listing of frequencies and times for these and others at www.docksideradio.com/east_coast.htm.

An SSB radio coupled with a fax modem and a laptop will let you receive charts and images. Most of the National Weather Service charts, as well as a satellite image, are available via radiofax from NMG, Coast Guard New Orleans. See the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) website, for times and frequencies. Depending on propagation, this information is available even in the remotest anchorages, and it’s free.

You don’t have to worry about propagation and schedules with an onboard Internet connection. However, Wi-Fi and cellular-based services aren’t available everywhere, and even satellite-based Internet isn’t foolproof. You’ll still need your radio for backup.

Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com/tropical/) not only provides raw data, but also features Dr. Jeff Masters’ interpretive WunderBlog. Dr. Masters spent four years as a flight meteorologist with NOAA’s hurricane hunters.

NOAA (http://weather.noaa.gov/) maintains a massive website. Up-to-the-minute satellite imagery is available at (www.nhc.noaa.gov/satellite.shtml). For the National Weather Service Gulf, Caribbean, and Tropical Atlantic charts, see (http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulf.shtml). This is where you will find the Tropical Surface Analysis, Wind and Wave Forecasts, and radiofax schedules. The address for Offshore Waters Forecasts in text form is (www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAOFFNT3.shtml).

Caribbean Weather Forecast (www.weather.org/caribbean.htm) provides links to most of the key NOAA sites in an easy-to-navigate form.

GET OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME

Storms can form quickly, so you must stay ready to move. Finish major maintenance before hurricane season, and keep fuel and water tanks topped up. When the crunch comes, the fuel docks will have boats lined up nine deep, and most of them will be crewed by scared, surly people.

Don’t wait for friends who don’t want to go or who aren’t ready. The decision to leave in the face of an oncoming storm is yours alone and should never be delegated to weather experts, a “storm committee,” or anyone else. Many sailors decided to stay in Grenada, waiting for Hurricane Ivan to turn north as almost everyone agreed that it would. But Ivan didn’t listen to the forecasts, and hundreds of boats were lost.

CHOOSE YOUR SHELTER

Picking a hurricane hole is like picking a spouse. You make a commitment based on limited knowledge, and then you have to live or die with the decision. We prefer a hole south of the expected track because the storms do tend to re-curve northward. There is no “perfect” hurricane hole, and none of them are safe in a major storm. The very best hole is one that isn’t in the path of the approaching storm and has facilities ashore for you to take shelter after securing your boat.

Mark the location of acceptable hurricane holes on the chart you’ll use to plot storm tracks. If you haven’t visited them before, look these shelters up and familiarize yourself with them. When the time comes, pick the best hole that you can reach at least 36 hours before the leading edge of the storm hits, and move out quickly. Wave and smile at the people stuck at the fuel dock as you leave.