Boats secured for heavy winds ahead of Sandy

STUART, Fla. - Captain Peter Morello's sport fishing boat, "My Other Honey," lives up to its name. His boat has been with him through thick and thin.

"Now, I've been through three hurricanes down here, and through each hurricane, the boat has always stayed in the water," said Morello.

He's going through his mental checklist of what to do to prepare for heavy winds, and checking his lines twice each day until until the storm blows through.

"The boat is away from the docks,” he explained. “When they do that, it keeps everything nice and level. That boat's going to take care of itself."

Captain Jerry Beck is a former Navy sailor who takes pride in safely securing his vessel, because he's witnessed too many others sink from improper preparations.

"I've seen boats that break when the tide came up real high, and they go over on the pilings," recalled Beck.

The seasoned sailor says it's more than just the physical preparations, it's also learning weather conditions. He said they can make the difference between a safe boat and a sunken ship.

"When you see all whitecaps going over the inlet, you know it's not nice out-- and don't go out," said Beck.