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I stayed on board during Storm Joseph: A night in the middle of the gale!!!
January 28, 2026 · 18 min · 696 views · Piedra River
What this video covers
Pioli spent the night aboard his sailboat Scorpion at a marina on the río Piedra to manage it through Storm Joseph rather than leave it unattended.0:39 Sustained winds of 30–35 knots with gusts to 40–45 knots heeled the moored boat as if it were sailing, and 1.5-meter swells penetrated the river anchorage.2:01 During the night he went on deck in the full storm to add extra spring lines and take up slack after the bow began striking the dock; fenders prevented hull damage.6:51 A cleat on the dock rail had slid back under load, and a neighboring boat's furled Genoa blew open and was destroyed.10:49 After the storm, Pioli toured the marina and found additional damage: a broken lazy-back system, a boat pushed against the dock, and a motor hatch lifted off by the wind.12:48 His key practical lesson: secure the Genoa furler with a line and separately lock the furling line itself double, because wind pressure entering a partially unfurled sail destroys it.13:26 He also advises doubling all dock lines before a storm and mentally rehearsing each failure scenario — what happens if this spring parts, if this fender slips — before conditions deteriorate.15:07
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