Have you ever watched hurricane coverage from your cozy couch and wondered about all those crazy people with boats right in the path of the hurricane? I’m guilty!
(But then again, I also used to wonder how people could get stuck on the interstate during a blizzard until it happened to us!)
Well now I know. It’s actually not as easy to move your boat away from a hurricane as one might think.
But we’ve done our best and now we watch closely as it approaches our area.
For starters, let me rewind a bit. We began moving our boat north on June 1st- the official start of hurricane season.
It’s been a very active season so far. In fact, the most active on record this early in the year.
Y’all. The ONE winter we lived in Chicago was the coldest and snowiest on record. So of course I’m not surprised that the summer we live on a boat is shaping up to be one for the books.
But I digress…
We’ve been hanging out in the Chesapeake Bay for the last month. We based out of a marina right at the mouth of the Potomac River (a very central location.) And we’ve enjoyed island hopping for the last few weeks.
However, as the storm began to form we knew we wanted to aggressively move our boat further up the Chesapeake.
In 2 days we moved our boat about 120 miles to the northernmost part of the Bay. Although we’re still in the cone, we’re not right in the center of it anymore.
We also moved to a marina with brand new floating docks.
NON-BOATER EDUCATION: There are 2 types of marina docks- fixed and floating.
Fixed docks are secured to the bottom and do not move. When we tie our boat to fixed docks, we have to do our lines and fenders differently. Our boat will move with the tide, but the dock stays in place.
Floating docks move with your boat and the tide. In a hurricane, floating docks are much better because there can be extreme tides with the storm surge.
So, to answer the million dollar questions from all our friends and family:
What are we doing to prepare for the storm?
Getting our boat to this particular marina was Step 1. Today we are watching the weather and talking to local boaters.
Tonight we will secure our boat with extra lines and put out all of our fenders. We anticipate possibly having to take down all of our outdoor screens and widows to protect them.
Quite honestly, this will be a huge pain so we’re only going to do it if absolutely necessary.
Beyond that, we’ll bring everything inside the boat (like our cute throw pillows, electronics, etc.)
Are we safe from Hurricane Isaias?
Yes. We feel really good about our location even though we are still in the path. There is a town within walking distance and we will likely move to a hotel if the forecasted conditions remain the same.
We’ll be making our decision later tonight (Monday) as the storm moves closer to us. Safety is our first priority and we have no intentions of riding out anything crazy on the boat.
That’s about all I have for now. I’ll post updates on our Facebook and Instagram accounts so make sure you’re following along. Big thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on us!
And, as always, thanks for following along on our adventure!
You may also enjoy reading:
6 Things I Learned About My Marriage While Evacuating From A Hurricane
How Not To Let Weather Ruin Your Vacation
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Stay safe! Sounds like Mary Grace has the best instincts, so I say follow her lead!❤
Thank you! And yes, Mary Grace is a true boater and we typically listen to what she has to say about things!