Planning around the hurricane season
1The lesson in plain words
The storm season decides where your boat should be and when. Plan to be out of the storm belt, or in a safe place, for the whole season.
The planning rule
Plan the voyage so that you are not in a tropical storm area during its season, and that your boat is somewhere suitable if she stays there. The Tropical storms unit gives the dates by basin and how to avoid a storm at sea; here the question is where to be and when. North Atlantic: 1 June to 30 November. South-west Pacific: late October to early May.
Where to be
Choose a destination with lower seasonal exposure and acceptable insurance cover. Some crews return to Europe or cruise farther north; others choose Trinidad or the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), where risk is lower but not zero. Simply reaching the US does not remove hurricane exposure. You can also store the boat ashore in a suitable yard that ties boats down. A hurricane hole is a sheltered anchorage: a last resort, not protection from a direct hit.
Insurance
Most yacht insurers set a named-storm or hurricane box: an area and dates in which the boat is not covered, or only with conditions such as being ashore. Read the policy before you plan the route. The box often defines the plan as much as the weather does.
Early and late storms
The official dates frame the usual season, not the possible one. Atlantic storms sometimes form in May or December, mostly west of 50° W. Check NHC (National Hurricane Center) information daily. The Tropical Weather Outlook gives 2- and 7-day cyclone-formation chances; outside its routine publication season, check for special outlooks.
Across the oceans
Reach New Zealand or Australian ports south of the tropical cyclone belt before the local cyclone season begins, using local passage windows. In the north Indian Ocean, choose a route-specific window: the north-east monsoon overlaps the post-monsoon cyclone period, so monsoon winds alone do not establish a safe departure. The same principle holds everywhere: season first, then route.
2Key data
- North Atlantic season
- 1 June – 30 November
- South-west Pacific season
- Late October – early May
- Hurricane hole
- Well-sheltered anchorage: a last resort
- Insurance
- Named-storm box: area and dates with no or limited cover
- NHC Tropical Weather Outlook
- Chance of formation within 2 and 7 days
3Key points
- 1
Season first, then route: avoid the storm belt during its season.
- 2
Options: leave the area, go south of the usual tracks, or store ashore well secured.
- 3
Insurance policies set a named-storm box of areas and dates: check yours.
- 4
Storms can form outside the official dates: keep checking the outlook.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: A hurricane hole makes it safe to stay in the Caribbean all season.
Right: It is a last resort against a storm, not protection from a direct hit. Plan to be elsewhere or ashore.
Wrong: Insurance covers the boat anywhere if you keep a storm watch.
Right: Most policies exclude or restrict cover inside a named-storm box. Read the policy before planning.
5Practice case & exam keys
You reach the Caribbean in December and want to keep cruising the islands until July. Your insurer's named-storm box covers the area from 1 June to 30 November. What options do you consider?
Show the answer
Choose a plan before 1 June: leave the box for Europe via Bermuda or the Azores in April–May; move outside it to a lower-risk destination; or haul out in a suitable yard if your insurer accepts this. Confirm cover and any conditions in writing. Finish the move or haul-out before the restriction begins, allow time for delays and keep checking the NHC outlook.
Exam keys
- Plan to be out of the storm belt during its season: season first, then route.
- North Atlantic: 1 June – 30 November; south-west Pacific: late October – early May.
- Insurers set named-storm boxes of area and dates.
- A hurricane hole is a last resort, not a season plan.
Finish this unit
When you've read it, match the terms, then answer three questions. Get them all right to finish the unit; opening the page alone doesn't count.
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