Looking at Charley: Just one of many hurricanes in the last few years
This article was written by past-president of the Corsair 24/F-24 Class Association Rich Carlson, who has since sold his Corsair 24 Third Rail and moved away from the storm zone; it gives some great tips on protecting your Corsair from storm damage.

On a selfish level, the hurricane named Charley selected a good time to take aim on our home in Clearwater Florida.  My Corsair 24 Third Rail sat on its trailer in a very high and sheltered location, it’s maintenance completed. So sheltered a location that I hid my wifes’ precious Corvette in the tiny gap between boat and bushes. Prudence was the order of the day. Our home, with dock behind, is a scant 100 yards from the Gulf of  Mexico, so we tend to think in terms of saving  the expensive items whenever storm warnings are hoisted.

Charley became a cosmic good-news bad-news joke when it took a sudden and unpredicted right turn. It mocked all preparations and evacuations by coming

Author Rich Carlson relaxed at the helm during the Michelob Regatta.

ashore at Punta Gorda, a hundred miles South of our home.The bad news? Weather radar showed the eye wall of this category 4 storm passing directly over the home of my  mother, age 88 and living independently.

A lucky phone call provided relief about her survival but the line quickly went silent, completing the circle of misery: no water, no electricity, no fire protection, hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, food stores or drivable streets. Time to evacuate mom to our house.

This is where things begin to get interesting because eighteen hours after Charleys’ eye passed thru, there were some significant surprises, especially for

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News as it Unfolds ~ The New Sprint 750 ~ The Corsair 31-1D ~ The Corsair Foiler 2200 ~ Boat Show Fever ~ The Corsair Nationals 2004 ~ Looking at [Hurricane] Charley ~ Chesapeake Cruising Life ~ Why Worry? It's Alaska! ~ What's Up in the Corsair 28 Class ~ In Closing...