Pete Whinn, Provincetown Harbormaster
24 MacMillan Pier
508-487-7030
harbormaster@provincetown-ma.gov

50 mph+ winds are coming to Provincetown Harbor.

Wind will build from the north-east starting midday Sunday October 12th and extending into Tuesday. Current forecast indicates peak will be 40 mph sustained with gusts to 50+ mph possible from 2-8pm Monday. This wind direction will push large waves into the West End particularly, but will put severe strain on all vessels whether docked, moored, or anchored anywhere in the Harbor.

Animation of conditions Monday at 4pm:

Actions to Take Now:

• Small motorboat or dinghy: beach it Friday or Saturday at high tide, remove it Wednesday. See locations:
  Small motorboats: Use Ryder Street Beach up next to the wall behind Ceraldi's.
  Dinghys and skiffs: pull up next to the kayak racks behind Luke's Lobster next to MacMillan Pier.
  These locations are approved for temporary emergency boat storage during the storm. The Harbormaster team is ready to assist if needed, call 508-487-7030.
   
• Boat on a dock: add lines, check to avoid chafing, and ensure fittings on dock and boat are strong. Do not tie lines too tightly: vessel needs to be able to "ride" the waves without shock-loading cleats and hardware. Use lines with some stretch in them to help absorb energy and not transmit it directly to rigid fittings (that's how they get ripped off the dock or the boat).
   
• Boat on a mooring: failures during storms like this are almost always because of chafing of the pennant where it runs over the bow. Ensure you have two strong independent pennants (each with its own thimble attached to the mooring chain) with chafe protection leading to independent fittings on your boat.
   
• Boat at anchor: Contact our office immediately at 508-487-7030 or harbormaster@provincetown-ma.gov. If you must remain at anchor, move your vessel as far upwind towards the north-eastern shore as possible (mind the tides during the entire event) and put out all of your anchor rode.

Forecast Data:
Most mariners have a favorite app or site. All of these sources reply on a few underlying data models produced by large scientific institutions. These models have varying strengths and weaknesses, so we look at all of them to get a full picture of what we should expect:










To get this picture yourself, you can use this link to Windy.com's full wind model view.