Day 59 Pirate Cove

We receive emails from the Great Loop Association on various subjects. The following is one that was very descriptive and informative regarding Ida. Fortunately, we are not in that area but we have friends who are.

"From out of the mist of a back alley of the Gulf came some freaked out lady called Ida. Yesterday, I called her "...cunning, illusive, and very mysterious....". This morning, I walked to the end of the dock and she spat at me. She has been gulping up warm water from the Caribbean and southern Gulf for the past few days and is holding it in her cheeks to unleash on us. I put my hand into the water and I could feel her pulse. My ears picked up the pounding surf so close yet still beyond my sight. As the first light comes over the horizon, I suspect the clouds will cover the sky. Ida is a witch who is intent on sneaking up on the Panhandle and throwing the first punch. Little does she know that King Neptune has his own surprises. The El Nino winds are laying in wait for her, to blow the tops out of her twisting, turning eye, lessening her fury. Little does she know that Loopers all along the Panhandle have been throwing their ice clubs into the water and have the temperature down to 70 degrees.

Never, never take your eye off of a hurricane. These "she devils" can change direction and fury in a second. There are no guarantees with a hurricane. They are truly witches (whether called by a male or female name).

By now, all boaters should be where they are going to ride out the storm. If you think there is a better spot, forget it, stay where you are now. There is no more time to be shuffling around to supposedly better spots. If you have a fender or length of line in a locker, it is in the wrong spot. Get it out and use it. Remove or tie down all deck gear, canvas, and anything loose. Tie more lines around your big gear too, dinghies can get loose and have been known to stream out from a boat, or worse. If something can't be removed and could blow loose, use a "stitch" line like sail boaters do around their mainsails and boom. Gather your flashlights and your portable radios. If you are in the storm path, stay off your fly bridge, remain down below with almost indestructible Fiberglas around you. Choose where you want to ride out the storm, either ashore or on your boat and remain there throughout the storm. Remember, if the very worse happens, that your boat gets loose and you sink, you would be only 2-3 feet further down in the water than you are now. You won't be blown out to sea.

Once nightfall hits, DO NOT go outside. The winds could have blown a stop sign loose that will then behead you. DO NOT take the dog out for a walk. DO NOT investigate some noise outside, it will be there in the morning. DO NOT think that a hurricane stops suddenly, it is only the eye passing over, and it will get you on the other side. DO NOT succumb to curiosity, stay inside.