Catamaran living is all about "Corona moments", like relaxing
upon white sand beaches, overlooking pristine tropical waters with your
yacht awaiting at anchor, offshore, just a short dinghy ride
away. Right?? That's what all the sales and charter
brochures portray. Life aboard SEDATION 4 in "Sunny Florida" was quite different
in 2004. The historical odds of a hurricane making landfall near
the "space coast" (Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Fort Pierce etc.) is
40%. The odds of two hurricanes, here, within the same year is
<14%. Three hurricanes per year is unheard-of and four
hurricanes have never struck the same state, within the USA, since
1886. Ironically, that was my home state of Texas.
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Hurricane Charley: August 13,
2004
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SEDATION 4
survived Charley but a sailboat moored nearest by did not. Many
other boats dragged anchors during the tropical-force winds; some
collided with other securely moored vessels. Reliable sources
indicated that we were in the direct path of Hurricane Frances, so I
decided to hoist anchors (a whole-day chore) and move the entire rig
(see pic) back to the secluded lagoon
by the airport.
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Hurricane Frances: September
5-6, 2004
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My buddy, Capt. Nancy Nelson, had only been aboard SEDATION 4 once, immediately
after hurricane Charley. Hurricane Ivan had changed course and
was headed directly for New Orleans. Nancy evacuated her home on
Lake Ponchetrain, LA and headed toward Florida. Accompanied by
Mack,
her adorable canine companion, we spent two enjoyable days
exploring the beaches and river. We visited the islands at the
south of Newfound Harbor, for a first-hand look at the massive
shoreline erosion and damage inflicted by hurricane Frances. It
was fun having a doggie aboard and a cute licensed captain is always an
asset. Hurricane Ivan struck near Pensicola on September 16th and
Jeanne was forecasted to fade-away in mid-ocean, so we un-boarded the
windows on Sunday the 19th.
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Hurricane Jeanne: September
25-26, 2004
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It's cool when folks can maintain a sense of humor during
such trying times. This graffiti on a boarded-up window near the
Merritt Island Airport tops 'em all :)
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