I am happy to say that I have never been around when a hurricane or typhoon has hit a location. But I have been at the edge of some storms caused by hurricanes that "brushed" near islands. We were on Grand Cayman during a storm that was so strong it moved the Kittiwake wreck by several feet. And we were on Roatan when that terrible hurricane devastated Cozumel some years ago - we were distant but still felt the impact.
The only really big tropical storm I've lived through was on the Crown Islander liveaboard in the Bahamas way back in 1993. It was a gale not a hurricane but it was a nasty storm. The boat took shelter to ride out the storm but we had a scary night. The winch to operate the anchor was damaged and they had to cut the anchor. The boat sustained some other minor damage as well.
Shortly afterwards we heard that the Crown Islander went out of business. I think there may have already been in financial trouble and the winch and anchor just added to their problems. It's a shame because it was a lovely boat and a nice crew. You can see the boat at the beginning of the video at the link below. It was huge! Nicest cabin I've ever had on a liveaboard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzZS6hQ1tds
I never wanted to be on a boat in a big storm again and after I heard about the Wave Dancer capsizing in Belize in a hurricane in 2001 and killing 17 divers, I decided that if I was ever in a similar situation - I would do my best to disembark and seek shelter on land!
But after reading about this recent Typhoon Maysak hitting Chuuk it's hard to figure out what would be the best course of action. Passengers stayed on the Thorfinn and they were fine, but passengers disembarked the Siren and Odyssey and those boats were severely damaged. So I guess that worked out okay as far as keeping people safe, although I am sorry to hear about the damage to the boats.
On Chuuk there has been serious destruction and reported deaths, the road is clogged, the airport was shut down, the power and water are out, and there are reports of looting. I don't know if you would even be able to find a place to stay on land because the locals had to shelter in schools.
I still think that I would rather be on land during a hurricane than on the water. I know that there is no sure, safe thing to do in a hurricane, but does anyone have suggestions about the best options for staying safe? The only thing I can think of is going to the ATM before the storm hits and having as much cash stashed away as I can get my hands on; because my credit card isn't going to work when the power and internet are out.
Have any of you lived through a major tropical storm? What were your experiences and what do you advise to try and stay safe? Thanks!
The only really big tropical storm I've lived through was on the Crown Islander liveaboard in the Bahamas way back in 1993. It was a gale not a hurricane but it was a nasty storm. The boat took shelter to ride out the storm but we had a scary night. The winch to operate the anchor was damaged and they had to cut the anchor. The boat sustained some other minor damage as well.
Shortly afterwards we heard that the Crown Islander went out of business. I think there may have already been in financial trouble and the winch and anchor just added to their problems. It's a shame because it was a lovely boat and a nice crew. You can see the boat at the beginning of the video at the link below. It was huge! Nicest cabin I've ever had on a liveaboard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzZS6hQ1tds
I never wanted to be on a boat in a big storm again and after I heard about the Wave Dancer capsizing in Belize in a hurricane in 2001 and killing 17 divers, I decided that if I was ever in a similar situation - I would do my best to disembark and seek shelter on land!
But after reading about this recent Typhoon Maysak hitting Chuuk it's hard to figure out what would be the best course of action. Passengers stayed on the Thorfinn and they were fine, but passengers disembarked the Siren and Odyssey and those boats were severely damaged. So I guess that worked out okay as far as keeping people safe, although I am sorry to hear about the damage to the boats.
On Chuuk there has been serious destruction and reported deaths, the road is clogged, the airport was shut down, the power and water are out, and there are reports of looting. I don't know if you would even be able to find a place to stay on land because the locals had to shelter in schools.
I still think that I would rather be on land during a hurricane than on the water. I know that there is no sure, safe thing to do in a hurricane, but does anyone have suggestions about the best options for staying safe? The only thing I can think of is going to the ATM before the storm hits and having as much cash stashed away as I can get my hands on; because my credit card isn't going to work when the power and internet are out.
Have any of you lived through a major tropical storm? What were your experiences and what do you advise to try and stay safe? Thanks!
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