HUGE STORM IN THE BAY

JANUARY 18, 2013

We are back on the mooring ball from our anchorage across the bay to wait out a storm forming in the Gulf.  It's 8pm & the wind is abating somewhat to under 40 knots.  With all that happened today I did not take one picture.  Now I wish I had.

Yesterday afternoon just after 2pm the front blasted in with winds 25-30 knots & light rain fell.   I had just returned from a bus run to the grocery when the dark clouds let loose & the cold wind began to howl.  We loaded the dinghy & left the dock for Its Perfect in the mooring field.  By the time we arrived at the boat & off loaded it was in cold, wet & ugly.

As I stowed the provisions, Rod put a third line through the mooring ball & secured the dinghy to the boat.  The sky darkened into night, the winds screamed through the rigging & the rain poured down.  All night the wind howled at 30 plus knots which made for a very rough night on the water.

The sun rose to a black sky, increasing wind & waves breaking over the bow.  We spent the morning checking the mooring & dinghy lines as the wind roared up to 47 plus knots.  Sitting in our dry cockpit we watched other people watching the storm from their cold, windy & wet cockpits.  Yes, having a full enclosure adds immensely to the quality of life aboard It's Perfect.

By mid afternoon the winds abated to 35+ knots.  Across the channel where we had been anchored, there is a family of 6 that are living on 30ft sailboat.  We met the father Jason, last summer when we passed through on our way north.  Their boat seemed to be moving.  They are attached to an engine block on the bottom with an anchor line.  About 3pm we watched Jason get into his dinghy & we thought he might be bailing it out.  Minutes later as the wind blew over 35 knots Jason, his wife, 4 children (one a baby) and a dog were in the dinghy.  Jason was rowing, yes I said ROWING toward the marina on the west side of the river

As we watched him row through the wind & white caps our hearts were in our throats.  He made slow steady progress as he crossed the half mile to the west shore.  They passed close enough to the boat to see 2 children in the bow, mom with baby in her lap & 4th child beside her, sitting in the stern.  Jason was pulling hard for the safety of the shore.  As their dinghy passed under the Bridge of Lions the water calmed a bit, but the wind was still blowing a cold, wet 35+ knots.  They arrived at the dock & tied up while Rod & I finally let out the breath we had been holding.  Their boat across the bay is moving around, but seems to still be attached to it's mooring.

If that was not enough drama, one of our neighbors dinghy broke loose from their boat.  Rod called the marina & they were able to grab it as it blew by.  It has been an exhausting, long day filled with tension.  Now the water & sky are black, the wind is still shrieking through the rigging at about 30 knots.  Tomorrow, will hopefully be a better day.