Good to hear you are safe. Thanks for the update, looking forward to the next episode.
I did well for certain. It was great seeing folks helping each other. Due to doing a boat or two a day, the preparations were fine. All of the small boats that are stored on boat lifts were secured to the lifts.
Also those lifts were raised all the way up. Note: some lifts need lubrication. They were extremely squeaky.
Honestly though, the preparation for Ian was okay. What was exhausting was putting everything back! The trees shed leaves, and that was a huge mess.
Don’t take that statement too literally however. The leaves and tree debris was far worse in other hurricanes such as Andrew, Ivan and Katrina. The trees put fuzzy flowers everywhere. That fuzz turned brown and left behind stains. Argh!!!
Thank you Cap’n for your comment. I appreciate that, and your email too. Life is good. Take care Sir. J.
I'd be a nervous wreck spending a week preparing for weather that might or not try to kill me. Minnesota has deadly weather (tornadoes, blizzards, etc.) But you don't have to spend a week worrying about them before they happen. I'm glad the little package arrived at a time you could use a lift, though I can't take credit for that.) 😁 Props to USPS!
One thing the neighbors and I spoke about during the buildup was how much better forecasting had become. Though we don't know for certain the Track or Path, we at least have some ideas in advance. This did not used to be the case.
Years ago (pulling on my fuzzy slippers) we didn't get as much warning as we have now. And the information is spread much further too. When we got caught offshore in a hurricane on our boat we had no idea the storm had turned. We didn't know... now after that Mother INSISTED we get a VHF radio. Back then only ships and rich folks had one. Ours was $1500 (now you can get a good one for $150) ... so times have changed.
I've got three VHF radios aboard! The main one is in my pilothouse. I have a second ancient one ($5 marine flea market find) in my cabin and a portable at my dinette. That one Baby gifted me for when I'm in Algae.
Now tornadoes scare me. There is zero warning on those, and the freight train sound is not calm-inducing! Hurricanes are best in protected areas when on a boat. I fear fetch, which is basically I don't want a long distance where wind can cause waves to build. I prefer to be in a sheltered area. The everglades are good for that and almost any bendy river too. Getting Seaweed out of the wind is essential. On this canal I am protected by three story homes, trees and high rise condominiums to the west. It is not perfect however it is better than many anchorages around here.
I was and am so thankful Pam for the box. Truly the week was stress-filled and your gift meant a lot to me. Thank you.
Your friend in the south, J.
Glad you were ok! From moving to coast of NC, have learned tornados can come with/before hurricanes. Who would have thought? Nws Weather radios do good job of warning with tracks. We had alert for one during one hurricane and friend saw it evacuating on the interstate. We put weather radio on alert for the tornados when not evacuating from a hurricane
Once, at anchor, I was in a white-out. The storm was so bad that I could only see white outside. I've watched movies (Wizard of Oz -- just kidding!) and seen the destruction a tornado can wrought. Frankly they are far scarier than hurricanes. There is no preparation possible for one, at least for those of us afloat.
Those underground root cellars have a good reputation. I have heard tornado warning on the Wx radio station.
Some places seem to have more prevalent touch-downs than others. Ditto for thunderstorms. Here (I'm on the peninsula close to the Gulf of Mexico) those heavy afternoon thunder-boomers seem to stop at the Intracoastal Waterway. East of me gets inundated, and here, not so much. For which I am grateful!
Thanks Cap'n John for the reminder about tornadoes. Folks need to be aware of them too. Frankly, I had not even considered that during this pat storm. Thank you for the reminder. J.