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Hurricane
Help from Bluewater It's hard to think about another hurricane season, with the last two still weighing heavily on our minds, and with damage still evident in Florida from Frances and Jeanne (not to mention Katrina, Rita and Wilma...). Florida boaters are planning ahead for the summer, whether that means putting their boats on the hard or buying extra dock lines. Some, like me, are too stubborn to leave the Sunshine State. Florida is my home, and my boat is my home, and I relish the time of year when the streets are relatively clear and cruising the ICW isn't like participating in a bumper boat parade. But with the peace comes the tension that builds in the air whenever the barometer starts to drop.
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The season begins June 1, and some of the experts are predicting that this season will be almost as busy as the last two. Dr. William Gray, from Colorado State University's forecasting team, says, "Even though we expect to see the current active period of Atlantic major hurricane activity to continue for another 15-20 years, it is statistically unlikely that the coming 2006-2007 hurricane season, or the seasons that follow, will have the number of major hurricane U.S. landfall events as we have seen in 2004-2005."
The season lasts from June 1 to November 30, and last year the worst storms occurred in the two-month period between the end of August and the end of October. With experts noticing warmer water temperatures, some are saying that we may see more storms earlier in the season this year. On Saturday, June 3, Bluewater Books & Charts will dedicate an entire day to hurricane preparation and safety for our customers. We sincerely believe that knowledge and information are the best tools for survival, so we've sought out some of the most respected authors in the fields of hurricane prediction and preparation. We're bringing together Marti Brown, Chris Parker and Bob Adriance for a full day of free seminars and an evening question and answer session and social event. Marti Brown is the author of the Idi-Yachts books, a series covering SSB Radio and HF Radio e-mail use for cruisers. She lives aboard a sailboat in the Florida Keys and has cruised extensively. Last summer and fall, she chronicled her hurricane experiences in Latitudes & Attitudes. This will be Chris Parker's second visit to Bluewater. His book, Coastal and Offshore Weather: SE U.S. and the Bahamas, is one of our favorite books on marine weather, and is a popular choice among our customers. Chris also runs a subscription weather forecasting forecasting service, which many people swear is the best available. Visit his website to learn more. The last time he spoke at Bluewater, which was in December, the store was packed. He's an excellent speaker and his forecasts are amazingly accurate. Bob Adriance has worked for Boat U.S. for over 20 years, writing and compiling accident reports for their Marine Insurance Division and editing Seaworthy Magazine. Very few people have had the chance to analyze as many boating accidents and disasters as he has, and his experience has been put to good use in his new book Seaworthy, published by International Marine. To read a review, visit the February 2006 issue of the Bluewater Newsletter. The free seminars will run all afternoon, so view the schedule below and arrive early to ensure a seat! Special discounts will be offered on hurricane tracking charts, weather instruments and, of course, books on weather and hurricane preparation. Perhaps the most valuable part of this experience will be the opportunity to discuss, one-on-one, storm stories and strategies with other local boaters and experts on storm prediction and preparation. And, as you've come to expect, Bluewater will end the day with a bang, hosting a free reception complete with appetizers, wine and beer. The reception will coincide with a panel featuring a question and answer session with the speakers. Come take advantage of this valuable learning experience. You and your boat will be much better off this season. Schedule of Events: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Bob Adriance on Learning from BoatUS's Case Files Bob Adriance, author of Seaworthy and editor of BoatUS's Seaworthy magazine, has spent the past 20 years reviewing and writing accident reports for BoatUS's Marine Insurance Division. He will go over some of the worst case scenarios during past hurricane seasons, and tell you how to avoid becoming another insurance company's case file. 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM: Captain Marti Brown on Preparing for the Worst Captain Marti Brown, author of the Idi-Yachts books, tells you how to prepare your boat for a hurricane and shares fantastic and frightening storm footage from the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Chris Parker on Forecasting and Tracking Tropical Systems Weather Expert Chris Parker, author of Coastal and Offshore Weather: SE US and the Bahamas, tells you how to predict and track tropical cyclones, from formation to landfall. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM: Reception with speaker Q&A at 5:30. Saturday, June 3, All Day!
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That
may make some of us feel a little better, but we all know that it only
takes one major storm to sink a boat. Gray's team predicts 17 named storms,
nine of which will become hurricanes and five of which will reach Category
3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. 
