Ours was brilliant. We would escape the bitter winds of late fall and head south much earlier than we had ever before. Normally, insurance keeps us north of Cape Hatteras until November 15th. After two years of doing that in thermal underwear, we decided to try something different. It cost a little extra, but we had an insurance waiver to head south as of October 1st. Yay!
We left Washington DC on a Sunday, and with the aid of 30k northerly winds, we were in Portsmouth (next to Norfolk) by Monday (150nM). Max speed was 13+ knots, which is a lot if you've ever been on a sailboat. Definitely a wild ride, but in control.
It never looks as wild as it does when you're in it! BTW, instrument reads 28kts of wind at beginning
25-30k winds will move you right along, we later hit 13k, but I didn't snap it
What? I'm not worried.
We paused in Portsmouth for a day to consider options and then pushed on through the Dismal Swamp Canal and down to Elizabeth City, NC.
Locking in at the north end of Dismal Swamp canal
Our next house, bit of a fixer-upper, but it's all we can afford these days
Duckweed, endless amounts just outside the canal
This is why it is called a "swamp"
We're in the lock!
Root bear float? Nope, Dismal Swamp Canal water
South end of Dismal Swamp canal
We paused in Elizabeth City for a day before escaping because of big winds coming our way. We holed up in a little bay by our lonesome until winds (30+) passed by. You can track us in real-time using this link here.
Our track from Elizabeth city
After squeezing under a 63' bridge (our mast is 63' high, so we were definitely looking to wipe out all the instruments at the top of the mast) we worked our way down to the River Dune marina where we randomly pulled in for some P&P (provisioning and pool time). We've travelled 336 nM since DC.
Squall on the way to River Dune Marina - winds to 27k
Joaquin?
As we waited for a weather window to head out onto the ocean, we started hearing about Joaquin and how it wasn't likely to turn into a hurricane. Still, we were watching it.
A couple days later and we're in the track for Joaquin. That could be a problem.
Joaquin coming our way?
All the uncertainly is forcing us to stay where we are. Despite the fact that conditions are good for a run down the coast, the fact that Joaquin could realistically come anywhere on the east coast suggests we need to find a safe place to hang out in.
This is where our guardian angel comes into play. She guided us to the very best place to be. Exactly where we are. It is a marina you enter via a canal. It is a man-made lake, so we don't have to worry about waves battering the boat to bits. I don't think there is another marina like it for a 100 miles. Most marinas are exposed to one direction or another, this one isn't.
River Dune Marina - about as safe as it gets down here
If the Joaquin comes at us, we will prepare by taking down anything that creates windage. We'll stuff it all into the boat somehow. The high winds are a threat, but a boat is built a lot tougher than a house. We have a floating dock that will rise up with the surge and plenty of things to tie the boat to. So we should be fine.
Yes, the power and water may be out on the land, but that is where a boat has an advantage. We make our own power and we can store lots of water. We will be in better shape than most anyone on land.
From what I've been reading on the path of Joaquin, they have very little confidence on the path it will take right now. In the next couple of days, it will firm up, then we will know what we're dealing with. Right now, we're enjoying the marina while monitoring the weather online.
Bahamas
Meanwhile, we watch what is happening to our beloved Bahamas. The hurricane is perilously close to areas we love. There isn't a lot of information on what is happening down there, but I found a webcam that shows what is going on near Georgetown. The forecast is for 100k winds all day, but an amateur weather station is reading only 33k. Of course that is several hours ago because the power must have cut out. Could be the location is more protected or it could be Georgetown isn't suffering the full brunt of the storm. We hope it is the later.
Joaquin as it travels through Bahamas
Drip, drip, drip
It is October 1st, and we should have been headed further south, but we aren't. We'll be here at least until Monday. They are experiencing a lot of rain hereabouts, so there is flooding even without Joaquin adding to it. By Monday we should know what we're dealing with and be able to plan our trip offshore. We expect a couple days on the ocean to get to a water-logged Charleston or maybe even further south. We'll be a week behind schedule, but we'll be safe.
