Cruising Outpost

I will believe that when you learn to spell HURRICANE

Melissa, Glad to hear you are OK, get some sleep while you can!

Ohhh, and impressed girl! You ROCK! (literally!)

Thanks CoconutIsland, that means a lot!

Here ya go sail445, thats what a minimal hurricane can do. Even a couple hundred miles from the eye!! Was taken today I'm told here in NC.

It seems like the weather news continues to get worse. I hope ya'll are safe.

The talking heads here are talking about the possible effect on the election next week if many people are still displaced due to flooding. That question had not occured to me. But it is an interesting question.

And please don't voice your political opinion here. This is not the appropriate forum. We had a local state election that occurred during the interval that many people were displaced by Katrina. We had displaced people still demanding to vote in our local elections 3 to 4 years later from remote locations based upon them still being residents in exile. This proved to be problematic when it was discovered many had registered to vote in their new location. Of course this could not occur in this case since the election is only a week away. Watch for this story after the storm.

_________________
Bruce
S.V. Far Horizons
Island Packet
http://svfarhorizons.com
"I am what I am, and that's all that I am" Popeye the Sailorman

I'm doing ok, tired as hell but ok. Only 30 hours to go according to the weather forecast...LOL

Just had major lesson number two, first was better chafe gear. Second MAJOR lesson, if you think something MIGHT need to be done do it, don't wait.

When the wind shifted to the west the dinghy started taking water over the side. I didn't think much about it, it is an Avon RIB it wasn't going to sink. I looked at it this afternoon and thought well maybe I should bail it out a little, but didn't do it. I should have. The dinghy is fine but was sitting really low allowing water to soak the motor. I never thought about that this afternoon.

So about 30 mins ago I looked at it again, the motor was going to be inundated with water if I didn't do something. So I called my neighbor on the boat closest to me and asked him if he would spot me while I bailed it out. I put the swim ladder down and climbed down so I was standing with one foot on the ladder, one knee on the dinghy and one hand holding the stern rail. it was not fun! and I couldnt get all the water out before I was to tired from hold on and trying to keep my balance, so I am cold and soaked but I have learned a very valuable lesson, if you see something and think well maybe I should do that... do it! Don't wait until it is too late or the middle of the night.

Davits have been moved to the need list, from the want list as well. I kept the motor on the dinghy and the dinghy in the water in case I needed to make a hasty retreat. I still think that was a good plan, but the execution was faulty. The dinghy up on davits with the plug out would have been a much better idea. Anyone selling a set of davits? I am in the market, as they say...

current wind data... argh! I have had enough already!!

Speed / Dir
39 mph from West
Wind Gust
47.0 mph

its all down hill Melissa, you got this one... wind out of the west means the storm is past you... by morning I suspect you will be so used to 20 kt winds, it will seem like a walk in the park... when I was training in rescue, I referred to this as the comfort zone... each time you press yourself up agaimst your comfort zone, your comfort zone increases... just wait... next week, 40 kts will be like a walk in the park! ( well, maybe not a walk, but you get the drift)

This is why I keep telling you to get some sleep... one of the hazards of heavy weather solo sailing is the fatigue... you made it through the rough stuff, now its settling down, but you are exhausted.... thats when you make bad decisions... take a deep breath, plug your ears and get some sleep... if anything really bad is going to happen, you will wake up.....

Coconut is right, Get some sleep. Fatigue is a primary cause of stupid and disasterous decisions.

_________________
Bruce
S.V. Far Horizons
Island Packet
http://svfarhorizons.com
"I am what I am, and that's all that I am" Popeye the Sailorman

Well past us yet this is the forecast... And we are still seeing gust Well above 40, mother nature is ignoring the weatherman again..

Tuesday Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 59F. Windy. Winds from the WSW at 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Chance of rain 20%.

Tuesday Night Partly cloudy. Low of 45F. Windy. Winds from the West at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.

As it turned out it became a super large hurricane. Luckily you had only one worrisome night.