Preparing the Boats for Hurricane Ian

With high winds and rough seas predicted, we started preparing the boats for Hurricane Ian. The decision was made to secure the cruise boats and take a few days off. Ian is predicted to come at us from the southwest, which means we will likely see the northeast quadrant of the storm… usually the roughest part. So, we have canceled all trolley and boat charters until Friday to keep our crew, our passengers, and our families safe.

It is Tuesday morning, about 9:15 a.m., on September 27th. Currently, we are under a tropical storm warning, this means conditions are favorable for us to experience tropical storm winds within 36 hours. Our storm surge watch warns of a potential four to six feet of surge. We are expecting 6 to 10 inches of rain by Sunday, and everything we tie down, including the boats, need to withstand potential winds of 40 to 45 mph, with much stronger gusts. We’ve just reduced the number of passengers to 45 people for all of today’s voyages. That is the maximum number of passengers we will be taking for any of today’s cruises. We are finishing today’s cruises with the Miss Kaylynn and have decided to cancel our remaining tours through the end of Friday, and that could be subject to change, depending on the hurricane’s behavior. One of our smaller boats, Miss Kieren Marie who usually takes 45 passengers, was removed from the water yesterday. She was lifted by crane and put into dry storage at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin.

The next boat we need to secure will be the Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle is our biggest boat, a 59-foot, 85 passenger catamaran. First, we have to secure all extra dock lines, tables, stairs, coolers, bumpers and anything else we usually store on the docks. Then everything on board needs to be tied down to withstand the wind and rough river conditions we are expecting. Captains Kevin and Kyle McCarthy, a dynamic father-son duo, navigate the Bald Eagle around the downtown docks and securely tie off the boat at the south end of the Fernandina Harbor Marina with the assistance of another McCarthy son, First Mate Brett. All are hoping Atlantic Seafood and the marina itself will help buffer the winds and slow down the wave action.

Disappointed passengers call the office to re-book or cancel their trips, and the brave visitors still on the island search eagerly for a pre-storm adventure. We have one more private charter, and a 6:00 p.m. sunset cruise. After those cruises finish their trips and return to shore, we can make final arrangements to tuck in the Miss Kaylynn for the rest of this week.

We hope you and your family stay safe through the storm. Until next time, “Fair winds and following seas.”

Categorised in: Amelia Island, Hurricanes