Every hurricane season, a certain kind of boat owner has the same realization at the same moment. It’s usually around the second cup of coffee, and it’s usually while looking at a forecast cone that has just shifted fifty miles in their direction.
The thought is: “I should probably have a plan.”
Having a plan is good. Having it on Tuesday, while the storm is still a vague swirl off Africa, is better than having it on Thursday, when every other owner in the marina has had the same thought.
A named storm is a deadline, not a starting gun
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs June 1 through November 30. Storms don’t read the calendar, but the calendar is a reasonable hint that this is something to think about before the weather gets involved.
When a storm threatens, a few things get scarce fast. Haul-out slots are one. Captains who are free and willing to move a boat are another. Your own calm is a third.
The owners who do well usually made three decisions months earlier.
Where the boat goes. Out of the water, a protected hole, or out of the path entirely. Each one works for some boats and not others. A catamaran’s beam and a motor yacht’s draft change the answer.
Who moves it, and when. The whole point is to move early, before conditions build. “I’ll handle it” is a plan only if you’ll actually be there and free to go on the first calm day. If not, write down now the name of the person who will.
Who’s authorized. The marina, the yard, and the captain all need to know who can make the call and who has keys. That call can’t wait on a voicemail.
Some insurance policies ask for a written named-storm plan. If yours does, it’s worth finding out what it says before you need it. Check your own policy or ask your agent.
What Premium Captains does here
We plan and run hurricane relocations for catamarans and motor yachts, roughly 40 to 100 feet. That covers building the plan with you in the calm months, lining up where the boat goes, and naming in the plan who moves it. We line that up with you in advance, not the week the cone shows up.
We can’t move the storm. We can help make sure your boat isn’t still at the dock waiting on a decision.
Text (or call) (754) 254-1819 or email MyTeam@PremiumCaptains.com, preferably while the forecast is still boring.
Our help is planning help. It is not a promise the weather will cooperate or a guarantee against storm damage. Nobody sells that, and you should be suspicious of anyone who does.