22 Aug 2012 ... Tropical storm Isaac to become HURRICANE ... preparation of boats for hurricanes

The past few days have been busy …

We have had a roller coaster ride of positive and negative information about an approaching storm which has been named ‘Tropical Storm Isaac’ and is predicted to be a hurricane.

First thoughts here in the BVI’s were along the lines of … ‘it will be well to the south of us’, then ‘no, in fact it seems to have lifted and is heading right for us’ … ‘no, it should miss us …’ … and these phrases have been doing their rounds back and forth until a day ago when everything seemed to indicate that we were in for a hiding!

Ana and I have been assisting friends of ours to ‘wrap and pack’ yachts belonging to ‘Moorings’ which also included ‘driving’ them into the nearby mangroves … a hurricane hole called Paraquita Bay where the yachts are tied together in raft formation as well as anchored to the seabed for the duration of the season. They would also assist us with getting Impi prepared for hurricane tie down!

Ana and I were on a Leopard 46 along with many others following Gareth and Jenna who had taken charge of the process of preparing these boats … Gareth had warned me to keep a close eye on the narrow and very shallow entrance into Paraquita Bay which also sometimes has one literally feeling the hull scrape along the sand.

As we approached Paraquita Bay, a number of Moorings yachts were gathered at the entrance waiting their chance to enter as yachts can only get in there one at a time … Gareth had warned us not to follow him in but to give him enough room to clear the passage way through as if he grounded the boat and it came to a halt the follow boat would have nowhere to go but right into the stern (back) of the one ahead.

Waiting outside we watched as one at a time boats carefully picked their way into the bay through this narrow entrance between the mangroves … Gareth was up and we were to follow soon after.

Once on the inside Gareth gave us the ‘all clear’ on the radio and it was our time to approach the entrance.

As a new comer … this was exciting and challenging … one dared not even glance at the depth gauge for fear of what it said … there is a marked channel of small red and green buoys … so closely spaced that a catamaran just fits … on either side one could clearly see the reef jutting up toward the surface …

Being a man who for many years was in the earthmoving business and as such had to take vehicles into ‘difficult areas’ of sand and mud, I kinda got the urge every now and again to look for the 4x4 button … of course there was none!

At one point the channel narrows right in, and although about 10m wide one has to stay to the right which takes the boat right up to the trees, the side stays (wires that hold up the mast) missing branches by mere millimeters.

As for depth … there is none … one takes confidence in the fact that others have passed through just before you.

Once inside the bay we observed numbers upon numbers of yachts tied up in ‘raft fashion’ between rows of buoys to which the bow lines (front) and stern lines (rear) are attached with each yacht tied up against the side of the other with tyres packed in between.

We had to keep within a narrow channel of buoys as yachts packed in behind us … others in front of us … a steady breeze tempts the yacht to drift onto the buoys and so one has to take account of the wind and drift whilst working the engines to keep the yacht within the channel markers and off other yachts. The cause of the ‘line up’ is due to the fact that one yacht has to come alongside the row of others … one at a time so as to give the skippers a chance to tie down and secure the boat on the one side before receiving the next.

Eventually it was our turn … Gareth had tied in well and we brought our Leopard neatly up against his before joining the other skippers to tie down those boats still arriving.


Jenna working hard at getting lines sorted to attach the next boat pulling alongside

Of course there was the tying of each boat to buoys front and rear ... mostly tackled by Karl and Maria in their dingy ...

Of course this was all happening amidst intermittent downpours of rain … the girls all laughing at the guys who were yelling out for a ‘wet T-shirt party’.

However, some of the girls were wearing black T-shirts ...

below Ana emerges from the cabin of a Leopard 46 which has been packed for hurricane season

Following a number of hours tying down boats it was time to head back to base to prepare the next batch … our mode of transport … a dingy!

So here we were, along with other dinghy’s bouncing and crashing our way through the ocean back to Wickham Cay, a trip of roughly 3.5nm … poor Ana was sitting at the bow (worst place to be in a rough sea on a dingy) and being as light as she is provided the rest of us with entertainment as we guessed the chances of her staying on board verses flipping over the side. Of course this was all in vain as she has become a true ‘boat girl’ and was not letting go ‘no matter what’.

This morning people on the island were taking this storm VERY seriously … we observed as boats of all sizes and shapes were finding places to shelter from the storm … even the bay in Road Harbour was becoming littered with huge vessels and ships. In the meantime, we scurried around the place lending a hand where we could including preparing a Leopard 6200 (62 foot) for hurricane weather … we love the fact that we are learning from so many different people what techniques, lashing procedures, knots tied etc. etc. are used to protect a vessel from the harshest of weather!

Ana was rushing back and forth carrying and packing tyres on the dock for yachts and even managed to get to the shops to do some last minute shopping for groceries. She really knows how to get things done in a well structured and managed way. This makes us a good team as my methods sometimes remind one of a hurricane even when there isn't one.

Back on board Impi we had lashed and double lashed ropes, placed tyres alongside as well as fenders … we have done all we can do to protect our little home on the sea … Sails are packed and stowed, ropes are tied down securely right to the thinnest of lines, cushions and all/any other loose items that can blow away are packed into the forward cabin … now it’s a case of ‘wait and see!’.

Due to the circulation of wind, we are told the initial winds will appear from the NE and end up arriving from the SE …

Late afternoon, the bay seemed to be a buzz of activity as more big vessels arrived seeking shelter … some ferry boats (big ones) entered the Wickham Cay and literally ran their vessels aground … a huge tug boat arrived and did the same … it seemed a bit chaotic, but perhaps there is method in this madness … after all, these guys have been through hurricanes before!
So here we are, all tied down and keeping an ‘eye on Isaac’ … I trust he will keep ‘his eye’ off me.

Currently there is the odd unexpected sudden downpour of rain ... lightening here and there accompanied by a roll of thunder ... a 30knot gust of wind came through and disappeared as quickly as it came ... the cycle is becoming more frequent so one can feel a 'building up' of weather ...

I decided to write and tell you what is going on … keeps my mind off things too … I’m hoping this is all going to be a bit of a ‘storm in a tea cup’.

Right ... time to sleep with one eye open and the other shut ... alternating of course ;)