1130, the sun has peaked through the clouds for a few minutes, and the barometer has bottomed out at a relatively high 971mb.
The eye has passed nearby, close enough for the breeze to drop into the teens, and swing rapidly to the southwest, but too far to experience the blue hole.
The question now is what the wind will do? Pick back up, or die off? Given the gradient above, one would expect a blow.
There are a few terns out hunting, but the rest of the locals are staying put. An hour later and we know why. The wind is back, with stronger gusts than ahead of the hurricane core.
Hurricane Irene or not, it is Sunday morning, there are blueberries left over from our visit to Maine, and freshly made scones are deemed a necessity.
Inside there is little sense of the power of the wind, so June and Michael decide to test the environment. The contrast with what we feel inside is startling.
With 35 to 40 knots in the gusts it is hard to hold the camera steady outside, but the vistas compel the photographers aboard t o venture forth.
You can see from the radar image that we have turned completely around. Consideration is given to moving to the weather shore, but the anchor is well buried and we decide to stay put.
The stronger gusts give us a chance to test RPM on the engines against the force of the wind. In 40 knots one engine at idle holds us even. Two engines and the boat surges forward. As both booms are out to increase windage aft, these are pleasing numbers.
The radar track above from the last 24 hours indicates the path we have traveled behind the anchor as the hurricane Irene’s eye worked its way toward and then away from us.
Although the fetch is short there is a two to three foot (.6/.9m) chop and it appears as if there has been a bit of storm surge on top of the high tide.
Flying debris was a concern. This is our tally for the first half of the blow.
The odds are the breeze may increase as the sun drops and the upper air cools.
At 1800 we are seeing gusts in the low 40s with more consistency than ahead of the eye.
Looks like another evening of anchor watch standing and movies.
Posted by Steve Dashew (August 28, 2011)
August 29th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Hi Steve,
Hahhh!!! Sad you don’t experience the blue hole, it’s such a silence after the noise of the blow, such quiet and clean air, AND the LIGHT… The light who dream all photographers…
And you are right, the second part is mainly more “gusty”!!!
Nice to see that my main concern, and Yours, flying object, are only kind of light weighted!!!
Have a nice and safe watch.
Alain
PS: Sorry for my poor english…
August 29th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Steve,
Thanks for posting the picture of our Island Packet – Drake’s Passage.
It was a pleasure to share an anchorage this weekend. You are true professionals and come equipped to get the job done right. Fastidious anchoring neighbors like you allow me get a good nights sleep.
We may have looked a little casual on our hurricane boat prep, but we’re on our way back from Newfoundland and our operation has been refined and passed muster in a bit more than Irene had to offer. I’m sure you shook your head at us leaving the dink hanging off the stern, but our three little girls are aboard and they like to use it as a bathtub when it fills with rainwater 🙂
Our anchor is a 125 lb Spade on 275 ft of 5/16 HT.
We were doing some tweaking and converted it into a cross between a mooring and an anchor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSpPiI3Ow4I&feature=player_profilepage
This gives us less pitching and riding at anchor and allows a very quick and safe exit if conditions require. Just tie on a float and toss pendants overboard for later retrieval.
Not sure how low the post Irene low tide finally went, but at 4:30 am it was bumping on 5 feet and we figured it was time to move around the corner. Took a long time to hose off all that beautiful, sticky, Bayille mud. If this place had half the fetch it would be a perfect “10” hurricane hole for Long Island Sound. Why it is so underutilized is anyone’s guess.
Wondering if you are showing at the Annapolis show in Oct. We are considering a new boat that can take us comfortably through Northwest Passage. I’d come over and knock on your hull now, but had to leave the family and run back to the office for a few days.
Bob Drake
Drake’s Passage
Island Packet 380
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
cell 732-492-7722
August 30th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Howdy Bob:
Understand about using the dink as a bathtub.Did the same ourselves a few years back with our girls.
August 30th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Steve how are you guys doing? Hope all is ok. You have friends online who want to know 🙂
August 30th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Thanks for asking Wolf:
All fine aboard.