When a serious storm or hurricane is forecast, the safest place for most sailboats is ashore, properly blocked and strapped down. But a haul-out is not always possible: yards fill up fast, cranes stop lifting once the wind builds, and you may simply run out of time. If your boat has to stay in the water, careful preparation is what gives it the best chance.

This guide covers how to prepare a sailboat that will ride out a storm in a slip, on a mooring, or at anchor: reducing windage, rigging dock lines and ground tackle, protecting against chafe and making a plan before the weather arrives.

Start With a Plan, Not a Rush

Storm preparation goes much better when it is decided well before the season starts. Many marinas and insurers ask for a written storm or hurricane plan, and it is worth having one even when nobody requires it. (Read more about why boat insurance companies require a hurricane plan.) A good plan answers a few questions in advance:

• Where will the boat go: hauled out, in its slip, on a mooring, or to a more protected harbor or hurricane hole?
• What gear will you need (extra lines, chafe gear, fenders, anchors) and where is it stored?
• Who will do the work if you are away, and how long does the job take?
• What does your marina contract and insurance policy require, and do they offer haul-out priority or cost sharing?

Watch the forecast closely and act early. Preparation takes hours, and conditions on the dock become dangerous long before the peak of the storm. Never stay aboard to ride out a hurricane; no boat is worth that risk.

Reduce Windage on Deck

Windage is the biggest single load on dock lines and ground tackle. Every square foot of canvas or gear exposed to the wind adds strain, and a boat that cannot lie head to wind presents even more area. Whether the boat is in a slip, on a mooring or ashore, strip it down:

• Sails: remove the mainsail, headsail and any spinnaker. A furled genoa can unroll in storm-force gusts and quickly shred itself or overload the rig.
• Canvas: take off the bimini, dodger, sail cover, awnings and cockpit enclosure. Folding a bimini down or wrapping a few turns of line around it is not enough once the wind gets above gale force.
• Loose gear: remove cushions, the dinghy, outboard, antennas where practical, solar panels that are easy to unbolt, and anything else that can blow away.
• Halyards: either run them to the masthead with a messenger line or lead them away from the mast and tie them off so they cannot slap and chafe.
• Boom: lash it securely to the deck or toerail.

If you genuinely cannot remove a roller-furling headsail, furl it very tightly, take extra wraps of the sheets around it, and lash the furled sail along its length so it cannot work loose. Treat this as a last resort, not the plan.

For a boat that stays ashore, make sure stands and cradles are on firm ground and chained together, and do not tie covers to anything that supports the hull. A loose cover can pull props out of position in a gust. If in doubt, remove the cover. Our guide on how to tarp a boat covers covers and tarps in more detail.

Securing a Sailboat in a Slip

A boat tied in a slip cannot swing head to wind, so it often takes the wind on the beam, and it is surrounded by docks, pilings and other boats. That is why a slip is generally the riskiest place to leave a boat in a storm. If it must stay there, rig it carefully:

• Double up everything. Use extra bow, stern and spring lines, and choose lines one size larger than normal. Nylon is the right material because it stretches and absorbs shock loads.
• Tie to fixed pilings, not floating docks. Floating docks can break up or, in a large surge, float off the tops of their pilings.
• Allow for storm surge. Lines that are too short will either snap or hold the boat down as the water rises. Long lines led to distant pilings handle changes in water level much better than short ones. Tie lines high on the pilings and use a knot such as a clove hitch with extra half hitches or a round turn and two half hitches so it cannot slide off.
• Center the boat in the slip with lines leading in several directions so it stays away from docks and pilings even if one line fails.
• Check the deck hardware. Cleats should be through-bolted with backing plates. Spread the load over several cleats and winches where you can.
• Fenders: add extra fenders and fender boards where the boat could contact a piling or dock. Fenders are often of limited help in a big surge, but they reduce damage from a neighboring boat that breaks loose.

Riding Out a Storm on a Mooring

A mooring in a well-protected harbor, with plenty of swinging room and good holding, is usually safer than a slip because the boat can swing to face the wind. Its safety depends almost entirely on the condition of the mooring.

Inspect the Mooring Before the Season

• Have the mooring inspected by a qualified mooring service. Check the chain, shackles and swivels for wear and corrosion, and replace anything doubtful.
• Make sure the mooring anchor is sized for your boat. Helix (screw-in) anchors generally offer much higher holding power than mushroom or deadweight moorings, especially in soft bottoms, and they are not dependent on having settled in from one direction.
• If you are not confident the mooring is heavy enough, move to a heavier one before the storm.
• Check the bow cleats or bollards and the fairleads. Sharp edges at the stemhead or chocks can cut through a pennant within hours.

Pennants and Chafe Protection

Most mooring failures happen at the pennant or the hardware near the buoy, not at the anchor. Use two pennants, each strong enough to hold the boat alone, led through separate chocks to separate cleats. Some owners add a third line from the bow directly to the mooring chain below the buoy, as a backup if the buoy swivel fails.

Every line leaving the boat needs chafe protection where it passes through a chock or over the rail. Fire hose or purpose-made chafe sleeves work well. Nylon heats up internally as it stretches repeatedly under load, and a tight, waterproof cover can trap that heat; chafe gear that lets water reach the line helps keep it cool. Secure the chafe gear so it cannot slide out of position.

Anchoring for a Storm

If you have to ride out a storm at anchor, choose the most sheltered spot you can find, ideally with minimal fetch so waves cannot build, good holding in sand or mud, and as few other boats nearby as possible. Expect the wind to shift as the system passes, so plan for the boat swinging through a full circle.

• Use the largest anchor and heaviest ground tackle you have, and consider setting two or three anchors, either in tandem or spread at angles and joined to a single rode with a heavy swivel.
• Increase scope to allow for surge. Around 10:1 is often recommended where swinging room allows; remember that more scope needs more space.
• With an all-chain rode, use a long, strong nylon snubber or bridle to absorb shock loads.
• Set each anchor firmly by backing down under power before the wind arrives.

Anchor choice matters. Different designs suit different bottoms, so check our guide to the best types of sailboat anchors. Be aware that anchors deeply buried during a storm can be hard to recover afterwards, so buoy them with a trip line.

Final Checks Before You Leave the Boat

• Close seacocks except those needed for cockpit drains, and make sure cockpit drains are clear.
• Check that bilge pumps work and that batteries are charged to run them.
• Seal hatches, ports and vents to keep driving rain out.
• Remove valuables, documents and electronics you can take ashore.
• Photograph the boat and its preparation for your insurer.
• Tell the marina or harbormaster how to reach you.

Opinions differ on full tanks. Full water tanks add weight low in the boat, but full fuel tanks can cause pollution if the boat is damaged or sinks, so follow your marina’s guidance.

After the Storm

Return only when authorities say it is safe. Inspect lines, chafe gear, cleats and the mooring before you relax, and check the bilge and through-hulls. If the boat has been damaged, document it before starting repairs and contact your insurer promptly. For a wider view of the risks, see whether a sailboat can survive a hurricane and our weather tips for boaters.

Docking a Sailboat Before a Storm: Summary

Haul out if you can. If the boat must stay in the water, plan early, strip off every piece of canvas and loose gear, double up lines and lead them to fixed pilings with plenty of length for surge, protect every line against chafe, and make sure any mooring or anchor is heavy enough and well inspected. Then leave the boat and stay safe ashore.