Yep, once again, I’ve found myself sitting inside a boat while all hell breaks loose outside. Tropical Storm Ernesto was surprisingly nasty and, while not a cat 5 hurricane, seemed to be just as kickass as Maria was. In hindsight, we really should have gone to our preferred hurricane hole rather than stick it out in Gallows Bay.
Part of the reason we stayed was that all of the forecasts were mild until the storm got past Puerto Rico. Our experience with 35-40 knots winds at anchor is not much of a storm. The projected winds were from the south which meant pretty much zero fetch so no wave/swell issues. The last reason to stay was that there were very few boats in our anchorage and we expected that our hurricane would be full of too many boats for safety. Lastly, the draft of the Islander has a foot more draft than our old CAL 34 and getting into the safer part of the hurricane hole. Which would have greatly affected our choice of mangroves to get up close and personal with.
Well, as you all know hindsight is 20/20. A 48 foot sailboat grabbed a mooring near us, dropped an anchor with a pile of chain, and went away for the duration of the storm. Being too big for the mooring they either broke the chain or pulled the sand screw and spent the bulk of the storm with their transom about ten feet from our bow. So it does go.
Too frelling close.
That said, no damage to either So It Goes or the Islander which is good but next storm I’ll be more prudent and adopt the glass is half empty mindset instead of saying it’s a small storm so no big deal.
You did better than many in the Balearics this week! Med sea water temps are breaking new heat records.
I saw a cartoon, once, that may apply:
Three glasses, each filled half-way with a yellow liquid. The first thinks, “I’m half-full… yay!” The second thinks, “I’m half empty… wah.” The third thinks, “Hey! I think this is piss!!”
Comes to mind when I think about hindsight. 8/
Glad you came through unscathed!