Deja vu? Nope ... this is real. Board-up the
windows again, pack the dinghy and head for shore. Any more of
this and it could become routine. Here is my "adios" photo as I
depart to spend more nights away from the boat. I dislike
sleeping shoreside, especially during hurricanes. Jeanne is
forcasted to make landfall around dawn which coincides with the
astronomical high-tide. The barrier islands' beaches are too
badly damaged, from the previous 2 hurricanes, to withstand the
projected 14' storm surge so massive flooding is expected. Things
are not looking good.
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The boat is still biases toward the south
side of the lagoon, where hurricane Frances dragged her just weeks
before, but the anchors are stuck solidly and I haven't been able to
raise them. I snorkled down and found the Fortress FX-37 buried
DEEP in the muck; what a great anchor! The Kingston 35 lb anchor,
toward the northeast, had dragged during Frances but was firmly
set. The 40 lb Attwood was still in-place to the south but the
"Economy" 35 lb anchor was stuck in mid-channel and wouldn't
budge. The water was too murky to see a problem but I
groped-around and determined that the shank was buried in the
muck. The chain was slack between this (now) mid-channel anchor
and the mooring swivel, so I took-up the slack using shackles. A
1/2" tether line was bent to the free end of the chain and led to the
dock to facilitate later retrieval.
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I took shelter, once again, in Larry Crumley's warehouse a
few hundred yards from the boat (see photo below) so, at least, I would
be nearby. Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued but we
hurricane-weary folks decide to stay. Larry treated everyone to
one of his awesome barbeques and, despite our trepidations, the
pre-party was enjoyed by all.
Jeanne struck early, around midnight, at
low-tide (thank God!) and the electricity stayed
on until 0530 so we could monitor the progress via radio, television
and Internet. Watching the storm from the second story windows
was breathtaking! Despite all the inconveniences and peril, I
must admit that hurricanes are beauitful to behold. The east edge
of the roof began to fail around 0500 and winds howled through the
upstairs office hallways like some b-movie special effects.
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No pix
... it was dark!
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I heaed out, in hurricane-force winds, around 0930 to assess
damage. The river was flooding badly as seen in this photo of the
road leading east to the launching ramp. SEDATION 4 is barely visible
but, at least, still floating. Notice the furthest utility pole
on the left. Walking into these winds was difficult and I had to
stop several times so gusts wouldn't blow me over.
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This was my first look at the roof damage above the
warehouse offices. The protruding corner office windows provided
a panoramic view of the storm during the night.
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This photo, taken from the road at the launching ramp,
illustrates how high the river was flooded. The last utility
pole's guy wire is just visible at left. SEDATION 4 was floating ABOVE
the mangroves which lined the shoreline, adjacent to the dirt road
leading out to the small dock. The dock is about 70' further east
than the bow at this point. One of the southern anchors must have
given way during the flooding and sustained southerly winds.
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Hours later the southerly winds were subsiding but the
river remained flooded. I was concerned that the boat would get
stuck in the mangroves as the water level decreased. Tropical
storm force winds blew all day accompanied by massive bands of
rain.
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Fortunately, by the next morning, the wind had shifted to
the northeast as the flood regressed and SEDATION 4 floated safely out of
the mangroves.
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