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hurricane Mathew

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Merrick
Navigator

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USA
192 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/02/2017 : 19:01:11

The post on the forum of the broken forestay got me thinking about how to inspect my C25 after it rode out Hurricane Mathew. Due to other life activities, I haven't been able to haul it out and give it a thorough inspection. On the surface, it looks perfectly normal, was not even wet inside, except some pretty good scrapes on the hull and the rub rail being torn off.
We had a tremendous storm surge which wiped out half of our dock, (the half that goes to the shore), as well as the dock house/shop which is where my motor was (now in the bottom of the river).
One sailboat of our dock was swept away and sunk, another had it's mast broken in half. My boat started on the right side of the dock and ended up on the left facing the other direction as the dock section swung around.
Here is a pic

You can see the broken mast on the yellow boat. The boat on the end was lost and the C25 (mine) on the other side ended up about where the yellow boat is now. view from the other side:

all the docks in the background were pretty much destroyed when it was over. At the highest surge the water was just a few feet from the tops of the dock posts. Interestingly a catamaran from another marina was deposited on the local airport runway by the storm surge:

Anyway I was shocked at how well my C25 came through. But I need to haul her out for a closer look. Probably good to drop the mast and closely inspect rigging. Open to suggestions of what to look for. One concern is the beating the sides had to have taken, but don't see any cracks, just paint scraped.

1981 #2555 "Aero"
sk/sr
Coosaw Island, SC

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9017 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2017 : 22:02:16

Glad you came through as well as you did. Just a few thoughts for next time... Whenever a major storm was approaching--especially one with a name--I removed both sails. I've seen what can happen to a roller-furled genoa when 50+ mph winds sneak in under the leech, and it isn't pretty. And the cover on the main is literally a sail in those winds, adding to the stress on your dock lines and rig. If it gets blown off, a few sail ties underneath are helpless, and things get really ugly! I've seen that too. So I just lifted the boom off with the sail and cover on it, and stuck in in the cabin--very easy to do, and it eliminates the movement of the boom as well as the windage of the sail and cover. Then I spiraled the halyards and topping lift around the mast, which can help prevent "mast pumping" that can stress the standing rigging. I know you didn't have problems with all of this, but they're real risks.

Most "scrapes" and gouges can be repaired fairly easily. The rub-rail is a little trickier, since it's bolted through the hull-deck joint and secures that joint. I'd check that from the inside for damage to the fiberglass that might call for repairs your insurance should cover.

Best of luck!

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 03/03/2017 : 06:19:04

I'd suggest you lower the mast and check your standing rigging very carefully. I'd guess that the mast failed on the yellow boat because it's upper shroud failed. The lower shroud did not. Something caused the upper to fail. Perhaps a turnbuckle came loose, or perhaps the wire was rusted and parted. Or, your standing rigging might have tangled with the yellow boat's standing rigging as the two boats rolled during the storm. Since your rigging is more robust than his, yours would have won the tug-of-war. I'd suggest you check your rigging from the chainplates to the masthead, including every inch of wire, every connection, and the spreaders. Look for kinks in the wire and for any broken strands. A good way to look for broken strands is to wear thick gloves, grip the wire between your thumb and forefinger, and run them in both directions. If there's a broken strand, called a fishhook, it will snag the glove's fabric. If you weren't wearing the glove, it would penetrate your finger.

When you're preparing your boat to ride out a major storm, make sure you adjust your docklines so that your mast won't get tangled with your neighbor's mast when the two are rolling in their slips.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 03/03/2017 11:05:41

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3994 Posts

Response Posted - 03/03/2017 : 15:07:07

I'm sorry but looking at the photos, I can't believe the sails weren't removed. Leaving the sails on the boat increases the windage on the rigging and the boat enormasly especially in a hurricane.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5239 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2017 : 05:51:46

Wow, glad you made it thru the storm ok - boat, life and limb! Sorry to hear about your motor and your neighbors' boats.
Looking at the photos and the stretch of water I'm surprised things went so well. It looks like it would be a very beautiful bay when the weather weren't so foul.
I'd agree your rig went through hell, especially if it had a tug of war with the neighbor's rigging which failed. But I wonder about replacing the rub rail without getting involved with replacing hull-deck joint screws. Those screws literally keep the lid on the boat, keep the top - with the rigging and mast - attached to the bottom, which keeps the boat afloat.
I'd definitely take a closer look at each screw in the hull-deck joint for damage or loss, especially any backing washers.
I've never touched my rub rail, I wonder how you could remove and replace them without messing with those screws?

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2017 : 07:02:34

A lot of insurance adjusters wonder why sails are left on...

Your docks look very exposed, we inland sailors build jetties out of rock and rubble, (only ten feet of water makes it easy for us to do). I hope your boat is OK.

Frank Hopper

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1739 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2017 : 15:22:57

"They don't build them like they used to"

Your post stirred memories off when the "Perfect Storm" no-name storm hit my area in the mid 90's. Then I owned a Bristol Corinthian. It was on the hard for the winter and the only boat that the winter cover stayed on. But . . . four holes where the stands broke through the fiberglass and the boat was half impaled into the club house with keel one foot in the sand below. I thought it was a total, but . . . . it was not. The local fiberglass expert fixed the holes, no other structural damage and we were off. Even the bow pulpit was not damaged. I say all this as Frank Butler built (Builds) a solid boat. Our vintage hulls have a lot of heft to them .

I expect you will find signs of damage in the rigging. IMHO you should replace the standing rigging after it went through such an event regardless, and I agree that sails should never be left on the poles when a hurricane is expected. But, we do have solid boats and, they just don't build them like they used to!

Peter Bigelow
C-25 TR/FK #2092 Limerick
Rowayton, Ct
Port Captain: Rowayton/Norwalk/Darien CT

Edited by - bigelowp on 03/04/2017 15:24:27

Merrick
Navigator

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USA
192 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2017 : 19:34:50

yeah no doubt I should have removed the sails. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get down there before the storm. (Sometimes life gets in the way) In hind site I could have called my dock mate there and he would have pulled the sails and boom as you suggested. I will definitely inspect inch by inch with the gloves as you advise and may just replace for peace of mind. The rigging is less than 10 years old though. Hadn't even considered the hull / deck joint, so good point there to inspect closely. Also not familiar with how the rub rail attaches so maybe some professional help might be in order. Also I have always had a hairline crack around my lower rudder bracket. No crack was evident on the inside. But now it looks more substantial so another think to check out. Thanks for the tips and suggestions and well wishes. Need to get this done, the weather has been too pretty ....

1981 #2555 "Aero"
sk/sr
Coosaw Island, SC

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