Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene
08/28/11

Hurricane Irene was heading this way and it always amazes me just how correct the predictions are on the paths of these monsters - it was spot on !!!  We had weeks of updates and predictions.  Don kept an eye on weather reports via NOAA online and assured me the storm would not hit but veer off or be mild - I was listening to reports here and began to pack up the boat just in case.  By the time Don realised it was serious I was mostly done - each time he sent an email to me it contained new instructions of jobs to do to the boat before we were hit - you know - just little things like take down the mainsail and pack it away (hummm !!!) the next one was to disassemble the wind generator and put away (the tornado had fried our wind generator and we had just had it repaired so I already had that down), the next email - take down the solar panels - these were big jobs of which I had no knowledge !!!  It got to the stage that I didn't want to open his emails anymore :-)   I tied the boat up as best I could and took photos then emailed them to Don for approval - he thought I was great !!!  All the men on the dock came to check on the "little lady on the boat on her own" and of course offered expert male advice as to how to tie the lines correctly - after making changes to suit each different male the day before Irene hit I became totally tired of all the advice, locked up the boat and went and hid in a cafe for a few hours for a break from well meaning men !!!

The storm began Friday night but did not become serious until the next morning when I picked up my bags and left our home - that was when I really became sad, it finally hit that I may not see her again.  I took all my special things with me, had already put a backpack full of boat papers, passports etc. at a friends house.  The long slow walk down the dock, was one of the saddest walks, I kept thinking that if I stayed on the boat I may be able to do something to save her should she be washed away from the dock but in reality that was wishful thinking.  I could have stayed on the boat for a few more hours but my new friends were worried and constantly phoning telling me to leave- it was easier to leave than to worry them.  As I walked down the dock it was challenging to stay in the middle of the path with the strong winds - I visited the ladies bathrooms on the way past, mainly to dry my eyes and fix my haggard appearance before facing Richard.  I had great difficulty getting the door open to get out - the wind was holding it closed.  I stayed with Richard in his apartment - Richard uses a wheelchair to get around, the aftermath of a stroke.  We watched the storm brew out his huge windows, the television giving us constant updates as the storm moved closer and became stronger.   I went out in the eye of the storm to check on my boat - I could not get close as everything was flooded but could see her mast - Richard lives a few hundred metres from the marina and I could walk through a mulit story car park so not as dangerous as it may sound.  Irene was not nearly as strong as predicted, damage was done but minor really.  Maximum wind gusts were 60mph through Portsmouth though out to sea on the other side of the hurricane winds were 110mph so it could have been a different story had we been struck by those. Sadly a few people were killed but the first 2 were people out in the storm having a look around when they smashed their car - stupid people, people like that just make more work for the emergency workers who are already inundated.


It was all over by 7am the next morning, as was predicted.  I left Richards to check on the boat - all was ok, minor damage and a few leaks.  Electricity was out and stayed out for the next 24 hrs so I was very popular taking thermoses of boiling water to the "oldies" for their cup of tea - something to be said for gas and independent living.  I cooked up big pasta dishes and ferried them out for dinner also.  I really felt sorry for Don - these things are always more difficult for the person who has to imagine what is happening than it is for the ones going through it.  I was able to keep in contact with him via the internet until after the storm, then all communication went down - I sent a phone message (text was ok but could not call) to Bianca and Alisha in Australia who emailed Don on the ship so he knew White Rose and wife were ok - what an incredible world we live in.

There was only 1 boat casualty that we know of (a Hunter 41 sailboat) – one of our former neighbors from the marina. Strangely they decided to move the boat to Annapolis the day before the hurricane was due. They only just got out of Norfolk and after some engine problems anchored in a small relatively unprotected bay. The boat was washed up on the beach as the hurricane roared through and they were lucky they didn't drown getting off the boat. The boat was wrecked though there was talk of salvage it mysteriously caught fire on the beach and ended up a charred pile of garbage – a sad end to a nice boat.

                                                                        

Most of the damage from hurricane Irene was caused in the aftermath by the high tides. The high rainfall coupled with the low pressure and spring tides meant the tides were up to 6 feet higher than normal high tides. The floating docks were right at the top of the pilings – any higher and the whole lot would have floated away. A lot of houses in town had flooded basements and without electricity to pump them out made a big mess to cleanup.


Apart from all that I have been giving our boat a face lift - after 7 years at sea she definitely needs it.  We had one leak which came down on either side of a bulk head - one into the aft head down the shower wall and the other side is the navigation table and switchboard.  The problem was under a winch so we removed that and decided to re caulk the teak in that area - realizing that all the teak caulk was sun damaged I decided to redo the whole top deck - hummm !!!  What a mess - digging the old caulk out, sanding the tiny little channel then putting black sticky stuff back in - I end up looking like the tar baby each time I did a section.  I then looked at the fiberglass between the cockpit and the teak deck and decided it was well worn, the gel coat was in poor condition and I would paint it - so that is where I am as I write this - caulking out in places, fiberglass sanded and ready to paint but we have had solid rain for days now so the boat is leaking like a sieve and no work done.  Just to make life interesting I decided to varnish the next section of floor inside - the main cabin so I have that pulled apart and have wet varnish around - poor Don came home to his beautiful boat looking like something that should be buried at sea.  I don't think it will be long before he decides working on a survey ship is better than my list of jobs for him here :-).  We laugh about it a lot.

Washington DC

Washington DC
08/12/11
38 53.38 N 78 00.85 W

We didn't want to leave the east coast without seeing the nation's capital so Don and I jumped on the greyhound bus at 6am to spend a weekend in Washington DC.  We got a great hotel deal – staying at a 5 star hotel for the price of a cheap motel. Being the country's political and administrative center the city becomes practically deserted on the weekend when all the government offices are closed which makes` it the ideal time to visit as a tourist.

What an amazing place – The White House, The Mall with The Capitol (Congress) on the hill at one end, The Washington Monument in the middle, The Lincoln Memorial at the far end near the Potomac River and the Smithsonian and other museums and art galleries along the sides. Shopping was forgotten, we spent every spare moment in museums.

We had great weather for our visit in fact it was quite hot walking out in the parks and it was nice to be in the cool of the museums. Of course the disadvantage of the weekend (and school summer holidays) is that the museums and the Capitol are immensely popular and get very crowded. It is great to see that entrance to all these institutions is totally free.

We killed our feet with all the walking trying to get in as much as we could in 1 weekend – of course it is not possible to do such an important city justice in such as short time but glad to achieve some of the highlights. We did not get to visit were the White House or the Pentagon - they both require advance applications - probably so they can check you out.

We though we would try a different mode of transport for the return trip – the train (AmTrack) not having used train travel in the USA before. Although more comfortable and spacious than the bus it took much longer and the condition and cleanliness of the carriages left a lot to be desired. It felt like the US train system was in a past century compared to train travel in Europe.