Sunday, August 31, 2008

Hanna

Still don't know for sure where or who will get the worst of this Tropical storm. I know the Bahamas will suffer from this storm, which it is believed will be a Cat, I to II in the next two days.
Because no one knows the track for sure, I can't do my usual hurricane plan, which is to sail away to a safe area.
I have been in the Nassau area for about two weeks and watching this storm for all that time, I didn't know where to go during those two weeks; here we are two days before I get run over by it and there is still nowhere to run to.
I checked all the usual places in Nassau to hole up, but either I didn't like one place or another or a few I would have liked were closed to me. Many boat owners here pay for rights in the best Marinas, for storm slips. They pay weather or not they actually have to use them for a hurricane or not. So the Marinas I would have preferred were sold out.
Without knowing which islands may be spared or which will have a better go of it, as of today, decision day, it doesn't matter. I have decided to sail for Chub Cay 40 miles to the northwest. The Marina there is new, located in the interior of the island offering a bit of wind protection and complete wave and surge protection. The marina was designed for mega yachts so the equipment, pilings, and docks should be very strong and in good repair. I checked yesterday and found that there were only ten boats there; I think they have about one hundred slips.
Such as it is, that's my plan. I'm about 15 miles from land fall at Chub Cay which is located at the southern tip of the Berry Islands. If Hanna does not develop from a tropical storm to a Cat I, I'll stay onboard; if it does develop I'll find shelter for myself on land.
More to follow as things progress.
Mark

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

T D # 8

This hurricane season is starting to wear me out. I dodged the bullets of Fay and Gustav by a few hundred miles. Today I find an upgraded tropical wave, now to be known as TD # 8.
This one is about five days from me, as I'm located in Nassau Bahamas. TD #8 might change status again today to tropical storm Hanna as it continues it's development.
The tacking models show a path that is to wide for me to safely say I can stay here and hope it passes to the north, while it, maybe, tracts to the north east making for the area around Bermuda. I hope the weather guru's have more definitive track forecast later today. I may have to start sailing for Miami or Cuba tomorrow if things don't become more favorable.
Other news, good and not so good. Not so good a moment of inattention while maneuvering through a five mile coral/rock area in ten/twelve foot of water I hit something with my starboard prop. The three blades of the prop where all bent, how nice. I won't put you to sleep explaining all the details, but the good news is that after three days of effort I will dive down today and install the repaired prop.
I have been having a lot of fun with sailing (live aboard) families and friends. Last night was a home made sushi dinner at Jan N Wes Catamaran, Dances with Dolphins. We were eight adults and one very cute 3 year old girl, all from four boats. She only speaks Spanish since she, her mom and dad are from Argentina but she stole the show.
Been snorkeling every day and have bagged a few lobster and grouper, umm.
Tonight we will all get together for a joint birthday party, we will celebrate Jan, Carla's and mine; no one is talking about ages for some reason.
Mark

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Bimini-Nassau

Finally under way, 12 miles east of Bimini in bright sun and 25 kts out of the SW. The sea in these shallow waters of the Bahama Banks are three foot, short duration, so very bumpy.
Both engines on at low power with the jib out making 8.5 kts. The wind chafed a starboard side lazy jack through, so I can't use the main sail till I get to Nassau and make the repair. It's about 95 miles down to Nassau. All the other systems on board are in the green.
It's a great day and I'm having fun.
Mark

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Stuck in Bimini

I'm still here, the wind and waves will keep me here till tomorrow when I will sail for Nassau. The weather has been clear to partly horrible. Very high wind gusts and periods of heavy rain followed by bright sun.
watching the weather channel, I can see the bands from the storm that are still reaching out past me all the way to the central Bahamas. Ok, I'm tired of this storm but safe here in Alice town. It's still to windy to put the dink down and go to town, I'll try later today, there may be a meal and drink ashore in my future.
Mark

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Day Light

Things always look better in the morning, this morning looks fine. The feeder bands with their high wind and blinding rain have stopped for the moment. The wind is out of the south at 30 with gust to forty so I'm still pinned down here at Alice town. I'm getting cabin fever, I'd like to put the dink down and go to town but it's just to windy for that.
Bimini is about two hundred miles from the center of the low yet the bands are reaching out beyond Bimini all the way to Nassau, about three hundred miles from the center.

There was a small, about 22 foot, run about moored a few hundred feet behind me, close enough to walk ashore that sank sometime in the night. Looking around town I see people moving about on foot and golf carts. I don't see any wind or water damage on land from here. There is one sport fishing boat, about fifty foot, that is tied up in the marina next to where I'm anchored, it has damage to it's freeboard and rub rail on the port side.
I saw on CNN that there is a significant wave off the African cost. The wifi is down here so I can't get on weather underground to see what is being said about it; if anyone reading this has some info on that wave please let me know.
If conditions out here improve overnight I will sail for Nassau in the morning.
Mark

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Hiding out at Bimini

It's starting to look and feel like a strong tropical storm here at Bimini. It's strange to visit Bimini and be one of only two boats, normally about fifty or so during the week and more then a hundred on the week ends. I'm very close to the shore and the main street of Alice Town but have only seen a few people today.
The wind is about 25 kts with occasional gusts over 40 kts. The rain is none stop by and large, a soaking rain, steady but not hard but with periods of extremely hard rain. I think the wind and rain will grow in intensity through the night.
The wind is predicted to go south in the morning at about 20-30 kts, if that holds I'll sail for Nassau. The storms forward motion has slowed which may allow it to gain strength, so I'm not sure about tomorrows forecast but time will tell.
I decided to anchor rather then to take a dock since the potential damage from wind and waves battering the boat against the dock is great. anchoring at this little basin presents a few challenges; I can't put out the 300 foot of ground tackle I have available but only 125. I'm anchored in five to six feet over white sand which is good but if there is a large tide the boat will no doubt touch the bottom or be grounded. If the boat breaks anchor it will just run aground in white sand.
I have changed the batteries in my underwater flash lights, laid out life safety gear, removed or tied down sails, fishing gear, BBQ's or anything that presents a windage profile. I tested my emergency satellite locator, both VHF radios and the UHF SSB radio
I have just been goofing off the last few hours reading and watching the tube when the rain is light enough to allow the Sat signal through.
For all the good folks who are concerned about me, I feel safe and prepared for this storm and will up date this log in the morning, thanks for all your emails.
Mark

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Fay Continued

At 14:00 Saturday the latest track moved the storms path west with no part of the cone touching the Bahamas; looks like a new plan.
Food, fuel, water, systems checks and I'm on my way to the Bahamas.
Hectic, to busy to be scared, I made the sea buoy by 16:30. The wind was on the nose at 10 kts, of course it was. Just before encountering the Gulf Stream, still in the shallows the port engine died, of course it died. Anchor down in 22 foot of water over white sand, that part is good. Now the discovery phase, down in the hot as heck engine room I discover a fouled fuel filter and raw water skimmer. Three hours later all is good but I'm too tiered to face a night time passage of the Gulf Stream.
I woke at 05:00 after a bumpy night. While making coffee I click on the Sat TV for the latest up date. The usual, a local TV personality doing a man in the street interview with a local from Key West who said "what storm", ya really couldn't say he was going out for an early walk, or just coming home, when he spoke you could tell he was still out.
The track continues to look good for me to go to Bimini so anchor up and off we go for yet another Gulf Stream crossing in light north east air with three foot waves also on the nose, this proves to be an uneventful crossing as I approach Bimini at 14:00 Sunday.
More to follow,
Mark

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Fay

I have been watching this storm since it was just off the African cost, now I'm more involved as it bears down on Cuba and threatens The Florida Keys, generally the Florida peninsula, and me.
I canceled a trip last week for the first time in these many years; we were to go to the Cay Sol Banks which I believed would put us in the direct path of Fay, I wasn't far off, I feel good about the decision even though my guests would have made many plans such as time off, coverage, house or pet sitting, flights, you know the drill.
Some sailors get prepared for storms by going to what they think of as a "hurricane hole", a place that offers good holding, wind blocks like mangroves or hills and trees. I think of hurricane holes as a place where to many boats are stuffed into one place, when one boat breaks loose it usually takes a lot of others to a watery end with it.
My hurricane plan is simply don't be there. Last year I sailed to Panama where storms don't occur but no storms threatened Florida last year, go figure; oh well I had a great time anyway.
Three thousand miles east of here, a week and a half ago, Fay didn't have a name, it was an area of disturbed weather, and then a tropical wave identified as 92 invest.
If you're a sailor with little confidence in "holes" then what's your plan? I try to sail off ninety degrees from the storms path-that's the "rub". The best educated, the best equipped do what I think is a very good job but there are so many things that can affect the intensity and track of a storm, prediction is akin to a black art.
92 was approaching Porto Rico and the Dominican Republic a few days back when the experts pointed out that it was surrounded by dry African air which would no doubt impede it's development, it did. It was also believed that the mountains of those two island countries would knock the storm apart or at least hinder further development, that's what happened, Fay is still a small storm.
Three days ago I was in Miami wondering, consulting with other sailors; some called me for my thoughts. Two computer models had the track headed to the Bahamas, Two went towards Key West, and believe it or not one had the storm at Cat III sitting of the outer banks of the Carolinas.
Lets see can't go to the Bahamas, can't go south or west to Mexico. I called my friend Captain Mike Ward up in Palm Beach he suggested that I sail up there and tie up at the dock, inland in a back yard, near the Waterway, a local watering hole. Of the alternatives this was the best, so I'm set, I have a plan. As of 12:00 EST Saturday.

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