Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was The Big One and, according to Scott Croft, spokesperson for the Boat Owners Association of the US (Boat US) caused $500 million worth of damage to recreational marine vessels alone.

This is the equivalent of some 3,600 new Beneteau 37's at today's prices. Boat US estimate that the recent hurricane Charley did $130 million of damage to recreational boats (950 Beneteau 37's) while Francis wreaked havoc to the tune of $300 million (2,200 Beneteau 37's).

The numbers are not yet available for hurricane Ivan but initial estimates are that it did as much damage as Francis.

Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), when asked about the economic impact these hurricanes were having on our industry, said: "We are very resilient as boaters and as an industry and we always bounce back in better shape than we were before. Hurricanes are a price you pay for living in a 12 month a year boating season."

He also pointed out that there is always a great deal of activity after hurricanes with people buying damaged boats and fixing them up.

I could not help but wonder if the following tip on the Miami Herald's website had anything to do with creating this activity: "Store vessel on land so high winds won't toss it ashore".