Captain John Easley is a professional, USCG-Licensed 100 ton Master based out of Palmetto, FL. He specializes in training new owners on their boats during the process of delivery to its new home port. He can be reached directly through http://uscgcaptain.johneasley.com/

Should I stay or should I go?

As boaters, we are all subject to the whims of the weather. Sometimes it works well
with our plans. Other times, not so much.
A storm front passed through much of the southeastern United States a few weeks ago.
Considerable damage and tragic loss of life occurred in Tennessee. In the Bradenton,
Florida area, we saw sustained winds of 23 mph and gusts as high as 32 mph Sunday
night.
The next Monday morning was clear and sunny but brought sustained winds of 22 miles
per hour out of the north. The forecast was for four foot seas at six-second intervals on
Tampa Bay.
A client wanted me to bring his catamaran to the boatyard for haul-out Monday morning.
The cat can tolerate running in 4×6 seas on the nose. What concerned me was the 22
mph crosswind while trying to pull into a travel lift haul-out well with only six inches of
clearance on each side. Yeah, you read that right: six inches. That’s a bit tight even in
the best of conditions. During discussion with the owner, we agreed it was better to
reschedule than risk damaging the vessel on the concrete walls of the haul-out well.
Responsible boating occasionally calls for making the tough call to abandon plans and
stay at the dock during unfavorable conditions. Make that tough call. Be responsible.
Don’t be a statistic for the Coast Guard or end up on the evening news. Injuries, or
worse, are not worth a day on the water.
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Captain John Easley