Date: 18 September 2017. Hurricane Irma
(part 1)
© janice142
Most important
of all: Seaweed and I are now FINE!
Skipper and I are a-okay back where we belong: aboard
Seaweed.
This became a multi-part series
about Hurricane Irma and the impact it had on me. The individual articles
can be found here:
For those that prefer their
reading all on one page (and it's a biggie)
the entire tale can be found on the
Hurricane Irma Saga
page. |
Over the decades I have
experienced more than my fair share of hurricanes both afloat and
ashore. Some have profoundly effected my sense of well-being.
Others have helped frame my current life and lifestyle. This final
one, Hurricane Irma, has cemented a decision made back in the late
1990s, one that I had disregarded for Irma much to my chagrin. This
is a mistake I will do my utmost to avoid in the future.
There is an
old saying "Fool me once, your fault. Fool me twice, mine."
Hurricane Irma was my
Number Two... Keep reading for the whys and wherefores.
Skipper is with me, always. The
opinions expressed below are definitely my own.
To
backtrack a bit...
Kidlet moved to Pensacola for college in 2003. Hurricane Ivan came
blasting through in 2004. Kidlet's neighborhood was without power
for three long, hot humid weeks. If we had power, we could have
saved the carpets. Instead they mildewed. Everything was a mess.
It was just miserable.
Her kitchen did have propane for cooking so we became better
acquainted with the neighbors. You know, the ability to make
a pot of coffee first thing in the morning for the caffeine
addicted is a sure-fire way to cement friendships. I highly
recommend it.
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Hurricane Katrina arrived a year after Ivan to rub salt in the wounds.
Again Kidlet's house was without power for three weeks. The humidity
could have been cut with a butter knife. To make matters more
"interesting" Mother was in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease.
On good days Mother was a hand-full. Post storm, sans power, was not something
I would care to repeat.
Here's a
quote from Kidlet's blog during that time:
I wish my
grandma would stop touching my stuff and insisting it was hers to
begin with, then denying she ever touched anything, while my things
are in her hands.
When I contrasted life ashore without power with my life as a child
aboard our 40'er, there was no comparison. We made our own power. We
had our own ship's stores with lockers full of necessities. We
carried at least a month's worth of food at all times. We could
fish, read, swim, relax and eat at will.
Son and I are sharing clam dip on crackers aboard the
boat.
We were safe and secure aboard our boat. I wanted that. The
hurricanes (Ivan and Katrina) that hit my Kidlet's home shook me to
the core. I wanted to always have the means to create power in my
home. Now it has taken me nine-plus years to get where I wanted way
back when...
Today I
make my own power. My life is virtually the same rather I am tied to
a dock or at anchor in a remote cove. The air-conditioner does
require a generator and yes, I've got one. Life is truly wonderful
aboard my boat.
To leave
Seaweed was untenable. I did not want to leave.
This storm,
Irma, threatened massive flooding. NOAA was projecting five to seven
feet above ground level on their Slosh Surge page.
Link:
Update #46 for Hurricane Irma P-Surge 2.6
Frankly that worried me. When I was PROMISED an immediate return
after the storm was through I wavered. For the first time since the
fiasco in the Florida Keys when those of us who left were prohibited
from returning immediately, I considered evacuation. It was a
wrenching decision and I NEVER wanted to leave my Seaweed.
I was
heartsick at even the thought of leaving my home.
There was A LOT of pressure to
leave.
This is where I belong:
I love my boat, and life aboard her is sweet. I truly
am blessed.
I believe it is all too easy
for folks to say stuff like "you can replace your boat". No, I don't
believe I could do so. Even the thought of trying to do such a thing
is frightening. There were only six of these miniature Schucker's
built. Just three are in existence today. Finding another
would be darn near impossible. Replicating all I have aboard, even
if I had the funds, would take time.
After the
half-century mark, time becomes all the more crucial. Younger folks
simply don't understand the ticking clock that accompanies those of
us past a certain age. Throw in cancer and mortality resonates in
our very being.
For the record, I am not dying. I am living. There is a difference.
To others a boat may be considered a luxury, a fancy way of living.
To me, my Seaweed is more than just a home. She's my shelter, my
safety, my tranquility and my happiness. All of that is in one 23'
long package. I love this boat.
Even on a rainy day, life aboard
Seaweed is happy.
I am inside with all my goodies enjoying the view
sipping hot mint chocolate coffee.
Details on how to make fancy
coffees are found in the
Flavored Coffees (economical
versions) vignette.
More
tomorrow. This article has grown like crazy. I will post the next part
shortly.
I'd love to hear what you do when ordered to evacuate.
And, do you regret your choice?
Regarding the Comments Section,
found at the end of every article:
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Hurricane Irma (part 2)
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