Planobilly
Veteran Member
If you run a boat in the ocean self-reliance is a forgone conclusion. You are the power company, you are the water company, and you are the police department along with many other things. You are responsible for all life and safety issues. Those realities will prepare you for taking care of yourself through the “school of hard knocks”. Most of us are up to the challenge, a few are not. Those who fail to meet the challenge of boating will either quit or in worst case die in the process.
In the event of a hurricane or other disaster the skills acquired through boating serve us well in surviving disasters on land. On top of the management of living well on a boat, we also develop a mental toughness. This gives us the ability to take needed action in the face of real life threating situations. Being on a boat will instruct one on what is critical to survival. Running out of drinking water on a boat on a simple day trip for as little as one day will make you painfully aware of the need for water.
I have now had time to decompress from the experience with the hurricane in the keys and Florida in general. I also have taking a good look at areas in my part of the world which were hit much harder to see if my preparations would stand up to those possibilities.
In looking at what I did well and where I failed a few things stand out.
1. It is not possible for me to prepare for every possible condition. There are storms that cannot be survived. Not a pleasant thought!
2. To move the boat or myself and family completely out of the area would require making a decision days before the storm at a point in time where I have no good idea where the storm will hit. I am not currently willing to do that, so I have to live with the decision no matter what the outcome. Great outcome this time but only because I did not suffer a direct hit.
3. The ten day supply of drinking water I store is not enough. It worked in this case but would be an issue in a longer duration condition. Puerto Rico comes to mind. I now store a 21 day supply.
4. My two generators did the job with room to spare. My sat phone provided me communications without interruption. My wife has enough food in the freezer to feed the whole block for a week…lol The small roll around AC unit I have in my garage ran well on the gen set and was a super nice luxury.
5. Fuel was really hard to come by, both before and after the storm. Having two hundred gallons in the boat was a great place to store fuel. Also a good excuse to tell your wife why you should own an outboard…lol I ordered two new five gallon cans. I bought a new chain saw with spar blade plenty of oil.
6. I think I am as prepared now as I can be for the next storm.
I may wish for good luck but I will always take action in advance to prepare. The thinking process is useful but only if it results in taking action.
What did you guys learn new from the storm?
In the event of a hurricane or other disaster the skills acquired through boating serve us well in surviving disasters on land. On top of the management of living well on a boat, we also develop a mental toughness. This gives us the ability to take needed action in the face of real life threating situations. Being on a boat will instruct one on what is critical to survival. Running out of drinking water on a boat on a simple day trip for as little as one day will make you painfully aware of the need for water.
I have now had time to decompress from the experience with the hurricane in the keys and Florida in general. I also have taking a good look at areas in my part of the world which were hit much harder to see if my preparations would stand up to those possibilities.
In looking at what I did well and where I failed a few things stand out.
1. It is not possible for me to prepare for every possible condition. There are storms that cannot be survived. Not a pleasant thought!
2. To move the boat or myself and family completely out of the area would require making a decision days before the storm at a point in time where I have no good idea where the storm will hit. I am not currently willing to do that, so I have to live with the decision no matter what the outcome. Great outcome this time but only because I did not suffer a direct hit.
3. The ten day supply of drinking water I store is not enough. It worked in this case but would be an issue in a longer duration condition. Puerto Rico comes to mind. I now store a 21 day supply.
4. My two generators did the job with room to spare. My sat phone provided me communications without interruption. My wife has enough food in the freezer to feed the whole block for a week…lol The small roll around AC unit I have in my garage ran well on the gen set and was a super nice luxury.
5. Fuel was really hard to come by, both before and after the storm. Having two hundred gallons in the boat was a great place to store fuel. Also a good excuse to tell your wife why you should own an outboard…lol I ordered two new five gallon cans. I bought a new chain saw with spar blade plenty of oil.
6. I think I am as prepared now as I can be for the next storm.
I may wish for good luck but I will always take action in advance to prepare. The thinking process is useful but only if it results in taking action.
What did you guys learn new from the storm?