Hurricanes and Stones

Here we are in the Abacos, waiting on hurricanes and stones. Watch and wait, wait and watch. The downside of our otherwise fabulous lifestyle. 

Bangarang at anchor in the Abacos...

Beautiful sunsets here off our stern at dock in the marina...

Kent and I watch and wait, watch and wait, to see what path Hurricane Irma will take. Last week, the various weather models predicted that Marsh Harbour would likely be directly in Irma's path. Now, in almost all the modeling, Irma appears to be trending more south of us towards Cuba and then north to Florida, missing Abaco by mere miles. 

Abaco, where Bangarang is located, is the little boomerang-shaped island to the right of Florida and above the top path line in the model below...

Abaco could be vulnerable in this model...

Abaco might feel the effects of Irma but not a direct hit in this model...

Either way, Bangarang is ready. She is poised at the dock in Marsh Harbour, ready to be moved into the middle of the fairway in anticipation of high winds and rain. 

We are expecting four solid days of rain. The following photos show the prediction for wind in our area on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The highest sustained wind is predicted to be 49 knots with gusts up to 63 on Sunday. This may sound awful to landlubbers but it's much better than getting hit directly with winds as high as 175 knots!

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

And Monday

Our marina is on the backside of a hill, with good protection from the east, if and when we see any part of Irma. Bangarang will be strapped down in spider-like fashion with twenty-four 120-foot lines, loosely stretched to as many posts on the docks. These lines and our position will keep our home from hitting other boats and docks, while at the same time, allow for any sea surge Irma causes. Kent has already removed our extra sails and lashed the mainsail down tightly to the boom. Inside Bangarang, anything that could fall or move around in the boat will be placed on the floor or otherwise stowed. Her fridge and freezer will be empty. Everything turned off. And she will be locked down tight. If we were to take a direct hit from Irma, we might lose our solar panels, but we've decided not to remove them now. It helps that Bangarang is heavily insured. 

Our 24 120-foot lines at the ready...

And no, Kent and I will not stay on the boat. That would be foolish. There is nothing we could do save our boat beyond what will have been done. It is not safe, and our marina does not allow it. We've pre-packed a duffle with our passports, important papers, electronics, other valuables, dog supplies for Trooper, and some clothes. We'll take Kent's guitars. And oh--wine and rum. If indeed we experience high winds and rain from Irma, direct or not, we'll leave Bangarang and head down the road to stay at the marina's owners' home. Since this is hurricane season, only four boats are occupied in the marina. So there may be about five or six of us camping out at Tom and Linda's house. It would likely be for one night, maybe two. Fun and games! 

Breakfast on our stern salon this morning. All is calm and sunny in the harbor today...

Our view of other boats in our marina...

Trooper does not particularly like rain, and he hates thunder and lightning, but he'll be ready too.

Here is another model, where Irma is predicted to go well below us. Our location is indicated by the blue dot on the map.

In the prediction above, Irma turns abruptly north and shoots up Florida. When a hurricane veers away from you, it means that it is headed towards someone else. We have friends on boats in and around the Caribbean and Florida, and we're very worried about them. Some are in unprotected areas and have had to leave their boats, which are their homes. Recent events show us how devastating a hurricane can be. We pray that everyone remains safe and their boats sustain little or no serious damage. That goes for our friends on land as well. Lives are important. Stuff is just stuff. Hopes and prayers for everyone in Irma's way. 

So, we all wait and watch, wait and watch. 

But HOLD ON--didn't I say something about stones in today's blog title? Yup. A rolling stone? A skipping stone? A garden stone? Nope--a kidney stone! X-rays show I have a large kidney stone which explains why I have a nagging, periodic pain in my back. Too big to pass. I have a trip back to the U.S. planned for the end of the month and I'd rather take care of it there. This is not my first stone so I know how painful this could be. My doctor hasagreed to call in prescriptions to the local pharmacy here in Marsh Harbour which she hopes will get me through the next twenty-four days. But who's counting, when we have the possibility of a hurricane coming our way?!?

I think it's very unfair that we have to worry about hurricanes and stones at the same time!

On the lighter side, I just had to post this picture of our beautiful granddaughter Clara playing in the dog's water bowl!

And diving in after the cat...

"The End"