Hurricane Sandy has got us surrounded. We can't head north, that is where she is predicted to make landfall. Somewhere just north of Chesapeake Bay is where the weather guys are saying she will hit. Heading south would be rolling the dice. Getting into South Carolina would have put us further from the eye of the storm, but between here and there are a lot of bridges. A lot of these bridges that don't open if wind speeds are greater than 30mph. If we found ourselves between bridges with no place to hide, that would be game over.
So, we have made our choice, River Dunes Marina (http://www.riverdunes.com/). Let me say, there are worse places to wait out a storm. Check out the menu!
Us and 397 other boats. River Dunes is a 400 slip marina and as of when we pulled in, there are only 3 slips left. If anybody asks you if it is too soon to hide from a hurricane, the answer is, it is never too soon. I am very glad to be in and have my spot. I had envisioned being up some mosquito infested creek, this is much better. For those back home, it is very much like Cobble Beach, without the golf course.
This is our hurricane hole...
Zoom out on our location widget to get the big picture of where we are.
Here is the weather map that helped us make our choice. Heading back north isn't a good choice. Being further south would have been nice, but it is getting too late to try that now.
With the current forecast, we are expecting winds from the North or North-East. Our slip has our bow facing that direction. That is a good thing in my mind. Tomorrow we will tie up the boat the best we can and strip down all exterior items that may become loose. This is our first tropical storm, but if all things are equal, we have seen winds this strong before. It just a matter of being prepared. Just in case the weather guys have it wrong. That would never happen???
On the fun side, we spent the last couple days in Ocracoke, NC. A known hideout of Blackbeard the pirate. Eventually, the location of his death. We dinghied around in Teaches Hole and saw the tree line that he used to hide the masts of his ships. This morning we rented a golf cart and toured the village, picking up provisions and taking in the sites. Hopefully, on the way home we will get a chance to visit Ocracoke more thoroughly.
 |
| Mom playing with a hermit crab. |
 |
| Another great way to get around Ocracoke. |
On the way into Ocracoke we saw our first wild dolphins. If moments like that ever fail to put a smile on my face, book me a flight home immediately. These were the first wild dolphins that Macara has ever seen. Needless to say, she was pretty pumped. The first pair of dolphins appeared to be a mother and a juvenile that popped up right on my bow. All I could do was hope that they dove back down before my props got them. How unpopular would I be if I 'manateed' the very first dolphins that we saw???
No comments:
Post a Comment