the storm is coming
even with all of your safety measures a line shafted
going snorkelling Elk Horn Reef
the elk horns
a stingray
Lagom found a Japan fishing float
Sunday February 7, 2016
Well the day of the big storm has arrived. Everyone was on the VHF
(we always keep our's on while we are on the boat and in bad weather)
We all got a notice at about 8:45 am that the front was hitting Warderick Wells Cay (10 miles to the north) with gusts over 35 knots and very heavy rain. We could see it coming, the sky got darker and darker and then some green highlights.
With the engine running and the instruments on, it hit us at 9:15 at 38 plus knots and lasted until 10:10, we had little rain. The moored boats where heading in all different directions, because of the mid tide and current running against the wind. Most of the time we where on a STB heel or backwards, stern to the wind.
When the squall past us the winds stayed over 25 knots gusting to 33, and by 12:30, no signs of it lightening up, but the tide has changed and we are now pointing more into the wind.
During all of this Joe saw another ray jump clear out of the water.
We radioed Mike on Lagom and his anchor held well and he said the other 14 boats are doing well also.
By 2:15 still blowing 25 plus and now gusts to 47 knots. Six miles south of us 51 knots was recorded.
Joe had a lay down and I kept busy baking, Chocolate Rum Balls this time.
Joe earlier checked the lines for shafing and removed our anchor which gave a possibility to cut thru a line. A future job is to change our chock openings on STB and Port.
By 3pm the winds settled a bit and we turned our wind generator back on.
Reports from other boaters was that their wind generators burnt out and over charged the batteries, in gale force winds.
By conch blowing time the wind is still 25 plus knots and darkness is coming and the tide turning.
Everyone is on the VHF chatting and worrying about the night. Because the wind was support to settle, but it has not. Around 9pm the wind picked up, and once again the current beat out the wind. The wind was 25 knots and the current 3 knots. We where swinging and heeling and the stern was facing the wind.
By midnight the wind settled to 20 knots and by the morning all was calm, and our battery banks where full.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Chris Parker (SSB weather man), said another blow was coming, Monday at midnight with gusts to 30 plus knots out of the west.
Some boats are moving, but there is not much secure west anchorages in the Exumas.
We moved to another mooring ball, closer to shore, hoping to get out of the strong current.
Snowbird and Grace are coming our way. Snowbird got a mooring ball close to us and Grace is in the anchorage with Lagom.
We went to shore and walked a trail to Honeymoon Beach and snorkelled the Elk Horn Reef…..today was cloudy, but we got to admire what is left of the Elk Horn's. Then back to Cairn Gardens with Snowbird to snorkel …
Snowbirds dinghy decided to leave the shallows and head for the deep water. Joe and I rescued it, then we all ended up on Modaki for
Happy Hour.
We have met Seaquel, Lynn and Larry, former owners of the Divers Den, in Tobermory, they are the permanent mooring hosts, here at Cambridge Cay. It is a small world. We also met Tony and Deb on Exit Stage Left, they know Mark Passmore, Dave Manners and Scarlet Fever.
While paying the temporary mooring hosts, Sea Star, Dan and Kathy Clevalier, the conversation got around to drinking water …they mentioned that the closest place is Staniel Cay to get water. We still have enough if we ration a bit. They insisted on making us 5 gallons of drinking water with their water maker on board their boat. So 2 hours later they returned our now full water jug.
The winds only got to 25 knots around midnight .. so not as bad as we thought.
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