Under the headline, “Man plans to ride out Hurricane Florence on his boat,” the Greenville News reported yesterday:

Rolling up some plastic windows on his 46-foot cabin cruiser Wednesday, Masten Cloer admitted he was nervous. A new weather forecast predicted Hurricane Florence changing paths to make a landfall near his marina at the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. …

The 57-year-old from Hudson, North Carolina, is planning to ride out the powerful, destructive storm on his boat, named Later, while it’s docked at the marina, located on the Intracoastal Waterway about 2 miles from the Atlantic shore of Cherry Grove Beach. …

A backhoe business operator back home in the mountains of North Carolina near Blowing Rock, Cloer said he could and would disembark if the storm becomes too violent.

He’s one of dozens of boat owners at the Lightkeepers Village Marina who have chosen to keep their boats docked during the impending storm. …

Eric and Barbara Coates of Little River plan to keep their boat docked and stay in a nearby condo.

“We’ll be staying here and hoping the boat is still here when it’s done,” Eric Coates said.

His wife said they can see the boat, a 44-foot-long fast trawler, from their condo. The couple have owned their boat since 2010, and Eric said he has been boating for 30 years.

“I’ve been in some storms,” he said, “but this one could be fun.”