When Dean turned and began heading toward Houston we started out Hurricane Prep. We had four days to prepare. Since this was our first time, we did it now. When it became clear that Dean was not coming to Houston, we continued with the prep to make sure we new what needed to be done in what sequence to protect Spirit Dancer.

Through bolts with eyes safety wired the opening hatches on the flying bridge secure. We were advised to put duct tape around the lines on the ends of the poles, this was done. We added yellow rubber/plastic fire hose chafing gear where ever a line touched anything. And we added standard smaller gauge fire hose where the dock lines and power cord touched the dock. All removable instrumentation was taken from the fly bridge and stowed securely below. Dozens of items on our checklist were methodically completed.

We added four 100 foot lines - one each running from the bow to the stern on either side and one from the stern to the bow on either side. These super long spring lines were tied directly to the tops of the poles so we could accommodate a 15 foot surge tide. We also added lines to the bow directly to the pole with long lead so they to could accommodate the surge. We normally have eight lines on her for normal tie up at LYC. We added another six lines for a total of 14 three-quarter inch lines of both three strand and braided type.

It took much longer than we had anticipated. But now that we have the supplies, experience and checklist, we feel confident we could do it in a fraction of the time - although we won't wait.