Bloomfield Yachting · Antigua
June to November. Preparation, watch, and inspection after every system.
Hurricane season in Antigua runs from 1 June to 30 November, with the highest risk from mid August to mid October. A vessel left here through it needs a plan, someone to execute it when a system forms, and someone to inspect it after. Bloomfield Yachting does all three.
Both work in Antigua if done properly. On the hard in a yard with proper stands, tie downs and a storm plan is the usual insurer preference and the lower risk option for most sailing yachts. In the water in a sheltered berth with doubled lines, chafe gear and everything stripped off deck is workable for many motor yachts and for owners who want to use the vessel between systems. We will tell you which we recommend for your vessel and check your insurance wording before you decide.
From 1 June every vessel in our care is on the watch list. We track National Hurricane Center advisories and local forecasts. You get a message when a system has a credible track towards the Leeward Islands, again when we start preparation, and again with photographs when the vessel is secured. No surprises and no silence.
Most policies covering the Caribbean carry a named windstorm clause with conditions: a written hurricane plan, a specified location, sometimes a haul out requirement. We read the wording with you at the first meeting and build the plan to match it. Where the policy requires a plan on file, we write it.
Between systems the vessel is checked weekly: bilges, batteries, lines, mould and ventilation, all photographed. Heat and humidity do more cumulative damage than wind in most years. See guardianage for the full checklist.
Hurricane season care is the weekly guardianage tier plus storm preparation and reinstatement, quoted per vessel after the free first meeting. Yard haul out and storage are billed by the yard directly.
1 June to 30 November. Peak risk is mid August to mid October.
It depends on the vessel, the berth and the insurance wording. We recommend after seeing the boat and reading the policy.
The yards around English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, and the facilities at Jolly Harbour on the west coast. We coordinate the booking and attend the lift.
Usually 3 to 5 days of credible track. Preparation starts at 72 hours and the vessel is secured by 48 hours.
We write the plan to the policy wording. Most insurers accept a documented plan with a named local custodian. Confirm with your broker.
Free first meeting at the vessel. Members sign in here.